Dress Code
by Miss Quiet Writer
Summary: Levy is an editor looking for a steady job. Gajeel is a young, powerful business owner, looking for an assistant. How will their paths cross? GaLe, Modern!AU Rated T for swearing and later plot details. UNFINISHED, I am not writing more on this fic
1. Chapter 1

Hello readers! Inspiration struck me one night, and I came up with this! This is going to be a multi chapter fic, and I am open to suggestions and prompts. (On my other story, I had a set plot from the beginning.) This is an AU, although we will definitely meet lots of Fairy Tail characters… and maybe a few from other fandoms. Eh heh heh… But I digress. Also, this fic will be pretty Levy-centric. Hopefully you enjoy this!  
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima-sensei does.

* * *

Magnolia: a gorgeous city with a mild climate and booming businesses. You see, this city is run by big business owners, or tycoons. Each one controlled a certain aspect of the city. Mr. Laxus Dreyar, for example, is the man responsible for the city's electricity. Ms. Porlyusica Marvell runs the health industry. These leaders are the rulers of the city. And even though it may seem like a foreign concept to you or I, they do a very good job of keeping Magnolia up and running. Who am I, you ask? I am Mavis, the founder of Magnolia. Let me tell you a story…

.:.:.:.

Late one night, a young woman staggered into her apartment. She shucked off her shoes and groaned.

"Ahhh, that's a relief. Mavis, those things hurt!" she rubbed her feet. "Ugh, Phil was being a royal pain. Why am I even talking to myself? Oh yeah, because I'm working two jobs and _slowly going insane_. Gee, Levy, why didn't you think of that?"

The girl slipped off her clothes and tugged on her pajamas. "At least there's no dress code."

The girl, now identified as Levy, went to bed. "I should probably find a new job… after today, I think I'll need one." She sighed, and turned off the lights.

The next day, she was doing just that.

"Lu, do you know if any of your friends has a job open?" Well, kinda. Levy was chatting with her friend Lucy at her apartment. She crammed a handful of chips in her mouth. Lucy sipped from a can of soda.

"Hmm… no." Lucy, an attractive twenty-something blonde, was slouched on her couch.

"Oh well…"

"Wait, actually, yes!" she bolted upright, startling Levy.

"You know how I'm a PA **(A/N: Personal Assistant**) for Natsu?"

Levy nodded. He was the head of Igneous Pyrotechnics and one of Magnolia's famous 'good' tycoons.

"How could I forget?"

"Well, his cousin, Gajeel, is looking for a PA, too! I could put in a good word for you." Lucy offered.

"Thanks, Lu, but… I really don't think I'm cut out for that type of job. I mean, does he really want a rookie? I'm an editor, not a secretary." Levy said.

"Well, Natsu took me in! It sounds like you're scared." Lucy teased. She poked Levy in the arm, grinning.

"I-I'm not scared! I-uh, just don't have the clothes for it…" Levy replied, looking away.

"Oh, that won't be a problem…" Lucy shot Levy a sly grin, whipping out a handful of credit cards.

.:.:.:.

Gajeel Redfox looked out over the Magnolia skyline. His office was at the top of his building, the MetaTech office, and the view was unrivaled. Sighing, he sat down at his desk. The day had been especially tiring, with a shit load of meetings, which was a disaster for him. Being a tycoon had its low points. The man looked at his messy desk. There were papers strewn everywhere, some on the floor. He shoved half of them off the desk and buried his head in his hands. He really needed a PA, like his ash-for-brains cousin.

He grabbed his phone and called his second-in-command.

"Hey, Lil." he looked out at the Magnolia skyline, the sun casting colors over the skyscrapers as it set. "Put out an ad. I need an assistant."

.:.:.:.

"Luuuu…" Levy moaned, "Is this really necessary?"

"Of course!" Lucy marched along the fashion district of Magnolia, dragging Levy along. "We are going to find you some work clothes, whether you like it or not!"

"But-but I'm never going to wear them!" Levy complained.

"Of course you are! You'll wear them to the interview, and when you finally get that editor's job, you can wear these."

"Well, then, I'll pay for it!" the smaller woman complained, yanking her hand out of Lucy's grasp.

"No! I have money to burn, and you're struggling to pay your rent. I WILL pay. I insist. Besides, how long has it been since we've gone shopping?" Lucy grinned. "C'mon!"

Levy sighed, but had to admit that she had fun. They went shopping and even though Lucy insisted on paying with her bottomless credit cards, Levy did manage to sneak a few purchases by.

"Where does all this money come from, Lu?" Levy groaned as Lucy bought yet another pencil skirt for herself.

"Natsu." Lucy answered simply. "Being a PA pays well. Daddy's 'benefits' don't hurt, either."

"Hmph." Levy looked away. Being a PA never looked so appealing.  
They perused the better part of the Retail District, and Levy got enough clothes to stock a small boutique. She found an orange top with a large white bow on it that she took a liking to. They shopped until sundown and then crashed at Levy's place.

Levy sighed. Lucy had agreed to stay over and they were staring at the ceiling in their pajamas.

"Is Gajeel nice?" Levy asked. She looked over at Lucy.

"Dunno. Natsu is, though." Lucy replied. "Like, he actually likes me for my personality, not my… assets."

"Both politically and physically?" Levy teased, gesturing to her large chest.

"Yeah… I'm not just another pretty faced rich girl to him." Lucy smiled. She grabbed Levy's hand and squeezed. "He's… well, he's so kind."

"Huh." Levy said, looking back at the ceiling.

_I wonder what he'll be like…_

.:.:.:.

Three days later, on the day of the interview…

_BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP._ Levy slammed her hand on her alarm clock.

"Ugh…" she groaned, forcing herself out of bed. "The thing's too loud."

She stumbled out of bed, rubbing her eyes. As she walked past the her calendar, she stopped.

"Today's the day!" she screeched. As if possessed by a burst of energy, she ran around the house, getting ready for her big day.

After an hour and a half, when she was putting the finishing touches on her makeup, there was a knock on her door.

"No, not now! I swear, if it's Jet or Droy coming to check on me…" She moaned, but opened the door anyways. Lucy stood in the doorway, grinning. She was dressed in her work clothes, swinging a key ring on her finger.

"Need a ride?"

.:.:.:.

"We have six ladies who are coming today." Pantherlily was briefing him. The man had a folder in his hands.

"I'll interview them and when-" Gajeel held up a hand, cutting off the older man.

"No. I'll do it." He said evenly.

"But-" Pantherlily protested.

"No. One of them will become my PA, yeah? I want to know them." Gajeel said firmly. Lily raised an eyebrow. This was very unlike Gajeel.

"Very well. Here are their papers. I'll escort them in when they get here." Lily nodded and gave him the folder, then exited the office.  
Gajeel looked at the papers in his hand. The one on the top caught his eye. A woman with bright blue hair stared up at him from the picture. The name underneath read Levy McGarden.

.:.:.:.

"Lu, you know, I could just take a cab." Levy whined, strapped into the back of the blonde's gray BMW.

"No! I set this up, so I feel obligated to help." Lucy said determinedly, revving the engine on her car.

Levy pouted. After Lucy barged in, she practically kidnapped Levy and dragged the bluenette into her car, barely giving her enough time to grab her purse.

"Lu, you didn't even give me enough time to put in my contacts! You're lucky I always keep my glasses in my bag or I would've murdered you." Levy opened her bag and stuck a pair of red-rimmed spectacles on her face. She shook her fist at her friend, who only giggled.

"Well, I knew you would've prepared a bag the night before. Remember that fiasco with my cotillion?" Lucy grinned and Levy gasped.

"Don't even mention that!" Levy croaked out. "You'll jinx me!"

They giggled, and then Lucy pulled up in front of the MetaTech building.

"Good luck!" she called, sticking her head out the window and giving her a thumbs up.

"Thanks! Say hi to Natsu for me!" she waved, and then stepped through the threshold into the MetaTech building.

.:.:.:.

Gajeel took a deep breath. The woman he was interviewing was an incompetent, brainless broad. Sure, she was pretty, but as she twittered about her cat and makeup, Gajeel sighed.

"Thank you, Penny. That's fine for now. Lily, see her out?" Gajeel cut her off and the woman frowned, grabbing her bags.

"My name is Patricia." Pen-Patricia sniffed, and walked out of the room. Her tall heels clicked on the stone floors.

Lily touched his headset. "A new woman is in the lobby. She says her name is 'Levy McGarden'."

Gajeel froze. The girl with the blue hair was here. He cleared his throat, straightening his tie. "S-send her up."

Lily raised his eyebrow at him. "Everything alright in there?"

"S'fine. Go!" Gajeel shooed Lily out of his office. He sat down at his desk, waiting for her.

And, five minutes later, she appeared.

.:.:.:.

When Levy stepped into the MetaTech building, she was awed.

"Whoa…" the building was sleek and modern, with glass and chrome steel everywhere. Mr. Redfox definitely spared no expense when he decorated. The receptionist chuckled, and Levy realized she had just voiced her latest thought out loud.

"How can I help you?" the lady sitting at the reception desk addressed Levy.

"Um, I'm here for the PA interview? For Mr. Redfox." Levy said nervously. It was finally time!

"Mmm-hmm… can you tell me your name?" the receptionist clicked away at her computer.

"It's Levy McGarden. Small c, big g." Levy replied.

"-D-E-N. Okay, just take a seat and I'll send you up in a minute!" the woman behind the desk smiled, and Levy sat down on one of the white leather chairs

After about five minutes, a tall bald man escorted a woman out of the elevator. He paused by her chair and asked, "Are you Miss McGarden?"

"Y-yes." Levy replied, startled.

"Mr. Redfox will see you now." he nodded, and she followed him to the elevator, trailing behind him like a lost child. "Oh, I'm sorry. Where are my manners? My name is Pantherlily." He held out his hand for her to shake.

"A-ah. It's nice to meet you, Mr. Pantherlily." Levy said, taking his hand and shaking it firmly. "I'm Levy, but you probably already know that, huh?"

"Please, call me Lily." He said. Levy immediately felt at ease with him.

They entered the elevator, and an awkward silence fell over them.

"The building is pretty overwhelming, right?" Lily said.

"Yeah, kind of. It's really different from what I'm used to." Levy said sheepishly.

"I'm sure you would be able to get used to it." the man said kindly.

"Mmm… well, that's if I get the job." Levy replied, flustered. She pushed her glasses up higher on the bride of her nose.

"I'm sure you will." Lily replied with a smile, and then the elevator doors opened.

.:.:.:.

When the elevator doors opened, Gajeel almost spit out his coffee. The woman was tiny! She probably didn't even come up to his chest if he stood up.

He shook silently, trying to contain his laughter. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lil shake his head.

Quickly, he composed himself while she was checking something in her purse.

Gajeel studied her from a business man's perspective. Apart from her shortness, she had dressed properly, with a white blouse tucked into a pencil skirt. Her hair really was blue! It was darker than Juvia's but lighter than Wendy's. She had on heels, but not those very-inappropriate-for-work torture devices the other women were wearing. And when she looked up, he noticed a pair of red-rimmed glasses perched on her nose. All in all, she definitely looked professional.

The woman was looking at him, so he greeted her.

"Miss McGarden?" she nodded. "Please have a seat." He gestured at the two sitting chairs in front of his desk. She sat delicately in one and placed her handbag next to her.

He asked her some questions, and then the real test came.

"What do you like to do in your free time?" Gajeel braced himself. All the other interviewees talked about their phones or pets or love life. He really didn't want someone who was obsessed with social media as his PA.

"Well, I really like to hang out with my friends. They're an… entertaining bunch. I also like to read and edit stories. I do that for my friend. She wants to become a writer. It's really fun!" she said cheerfully.

Gajeel was surprised. This shorty really was different from the rest.

"Thank you, that'll be all." He nodded, and scratched some notes on his pad. She walked to the elevator.

"I'll escort you out." Lily murmured, and they were gone.

_Is there really any doubt about who I should pick?_

_.:.:.:._

When she stepped out of the elevator, Levy wasn't surprised. Mr. Redfox's office was chrome steel and glass just like the rest of the building, but the man sitting behind the modern desk was what set this room apart from the rest. He was tall, really tall with a heavily muscled figure and long, wild, black hair pulled back in a ponytail. Piercings covered his face, and when the sleeve of his (most likely expensive) suit slid up, she could see some on his arms, too. He looked very intimidating, so she pretended to check something in her bag just to stall.

He greeted her in, and asked her some questions. Why she wants the job, what she does now, blah, blah, blah. All the usual stuff. She answered them all nervously, and then the final question came.

"What do like to do in your free time?"

There was no hesitation or nervousness in her voice this time. "Well, I really like to hang out with my friends. They're an… entertaining bunch. I also like to read and edit stories. I do that for my friend. She wants to become a writer. It's really fun!" she replied cheerfully.

"Thank you, that'll be all." Gajeel dismissed her, and she took the elevator down to the lobby. Lily accompanied her, and even though he was polite, she help feel like Gajeel was… distant, almost cold.

Lily noticed her worried look and smiled. "That's part of Gajeel. His personality is as little off-putting, but he's a good man."

"Oh! I-uh, didn't mean to be rude, just thinking…" Levy said, flustered.

"That's quite alright. Here you are." The elevator doors opened, and Levy stepped out. "Have a nice day, Miss Levy."

"Good-bye!" she waved at Lily, cutting through the lobby.

And she stepped out into the sunlight.

* * *

A/N: This… is really long…

I hope you like it anyways! I like the idea of Levy as an office lady. Eh heh heh heh… I'm going with the idea that Lucy's dad is alive and they are on speaking terms, but are still pretty distant. Mr. Heartfillia still feels bad, so he basically gives her all the money she wants.

Suggestions? Comments? Leave a review!

Signing off,  
Miss Quiet Writer


	2. Getting the Job

**A/N: Okaaaay, chapper twah!**

* * *

It was a lazy Saturday evening. Levy was starting one of her favorite books when the phone rang. Picking up her phone, she sandwiched it casually between her shoulder and ear.

"Hello?" she headed over to the kitchen to make a snack. Opening her fridge, she paused. _Cream cheese or hummus?_

_"__Hello, Miss McGarden?" _the voice said from the other end. _"This is Pantherlily, calling from MetaTech Corporations."_

"Hello, Mr. Lily!" she said, surprised. "To what do I owe this call?" Grabbing a butter knife, she began to prepare her food.

She could practically hear Lily smirking on the other side. _"I was just calling to say congratulations."_

_Congratulations?_ Levy pause in the middle of spreading cream cheese on her bread.

_"__Miss McGarden, you have been accepted as Mr. Redfox's personal assistant. If I may, this is where I say 'I told you so'. Miss Levy?"_

Her mouth hung open and she dropped the knife she was using with a clatter. _Wait, what?_

"Uh, yeah?" As if in a daze, she bent down to pick up the utensil she dropped. _I got the job? Mavis! I got the job! _

Forgetting she was on the phone, she pumped her fist and did a little dance. _Yes! I got it!_

_"__If it's alright with you, Mr. Redfox would like to schedule a meeting to discuss payment, insurance and other things of the like." _Pantherlily interrupted her celebratory dance.

"O-oh, yes, erm… what time would that be?"

.:.:.:.

"Alright, three o'clock it is. We'll see you then, Miss Levy." Pantherlily flipped his phone shut, smirking at Gajeel. "She's coming on Friday at three. Hopefully I won't have to keep making these calls anymore."

"Aah." Gajeel nodded, feet on his desk. The tycoon was lounging around the office because he had nothing better to do. "Finally, someone to keep _this,"_ he gestured to his untidy office, "in order."

"She won't be your housekeeper, Gajeel." Pantherlily said sternly. "You need to treat her with respect."

"Yes, _Mom._" Gajeel said lazily. "Yeah, yeah."

Lily sighed, but walked out of his office. That boy would never learn.

"Friday at three, eh?" he wrote a note and stuck it onto his desk, only for it to be buried under a mound of papers.

_Lookin' forward to that… I can't live this way anymore._

.:.:.:.

"YES! I KNEW IT!" Levy grimaced, holding the phone away from her face. Right after Lily hung up, she dialed Lucy. And the blonde had taken the news a little too well.

"Yay! Now you have a job and we can chat about PA stuff and you can wear all those clothes I bought you and ooh! Did he talk to you about wages and stuff?" Lucy was squealing with excitement, and Levy cringed.

"N-No, we're going to discuss that on Friday."

"Ohh, I see. Well, what are you planning to wear?" Lucy asked, her excitement simmering down a tad.

"Well, I don't know. Probably one of those skirts and a blouse, I guess." she replied.

"No!" Lucy exclaimed, startling Levy. "That will _not_ _do_! I'm coming over now to help you pick!"

"Wait! No, Lu-!" she cried, but the line had already gone dead and she sighed. Crazy Magnolians.

In the span of ten minutes, Lucy was at her door. "C'mon, show me what you've got!"

Levy sighed. Nothing to do now but go along.

.:.:.:.

On Friday, Gajeel woke up and scratched his head. For some reason, he felt like today was going to be exciting. He had no clue as to why, though.

He shoved himself into one of the countless suits he owned, and grabbed his keys. _Time to face the day._ Not bothering to knot his tie, he headed out.

.:.:.:.

Levy spent her day lounging around and reading books. She had quit her jobs two days before, and had plenty of free time on her hands.

After a while, she headed up to make lunch and got ready for the big meeting. Deciding on a smart black blazer and a pair of nice slacks, she dressed and sat in her living room, all dressed up with nowhere to go. After an hour, she decided to head out. This time Lucy wasn't there to pick her up and she regretted not asking for a ride. Sure, the subway was good for commutes to her old work, but it didn't run anywhere near the Business District in Magnolia. Levy was forced to walk several blocks in her heels.

After a brisk (more like excruciatingly painful) walk, she found herself in front of the MetaTech building. When she checked her watch, she found she was almost going to be late! She speed walked into the building, and checked in with the receptionist. After slumping into one of the lounge chairs for a mere few seconds, she was called up by Pantherlily.

.:.:.:.

It was lunchtime when Gajeel realized what he had forgotten. It was his meeting with the shorty! He shrugged, diving back into his Chinese takeout. They were only going to talk about her pay and boring shit like that. It made him sleepy just thinking about it. Touching one of his piercings absentmindedly, he shoved more food into his mouth. Well, at least he would be able to have someone to help him with that.

.:.:.:.

"Miss Levy, you seem nervous." Pantherlily said, shaking her out of her train of thought. They were standing in the elevator, steadily climbing the floors.

"O-Oh, please, just Levy." she replied. She fiddled with one of the buttons on her jacket. "And, well, yes, I am a little nervous."

"Well then, _Levy_, you shouldn't be nervous. Gajeel has chosen you for the job. We're just discussing legal matters and such."

"I know, I just… he's a little intimidating."

Lily let out a bark of laughter, scaring Levy. "Yes, he is a little rough on the outside." he said, leaving Levy confused. _A little rough on the outside?_

"Oop, looks like we're here. After you." the man said politely, standing back.

"Thank you." She said, grinning a little. Even if her boss was a bit scary, at least there would always be a friendly face around.

.:.:.:.

Even after seeing her a second time, he still laughed from behind his hand. This woman was tiny! Today she wasn't wearing her glasses and had her hair down. He noticed she glanced around his office like a frightened animal. He had no doubt that this was her first professional business job.

After a moment's hesitation she pulled up a chair and sat down. She stuck out her hand and said stiffly, "Levy McGarden." He took it, his hand enveloping hers. "Gajeel Redfox."

"I'll be your employer." He immediately regretted his words. Of course she would know that! It's what she applied for, isn't it? "Uh, here's your card." He slid a small plastic rectangle across his desk.

"My card?" Levy took it curiously.

"It's your identification in this building." Pantherlily interjected, startling the two of them. "You use it to operate the elevators and gain access to files."

"Oh, I see." the woman nodded and slid it into her purse, in turn taking out a small notebook.

"Well, Gajeel, I think it's time to start discussing payment and the like?" Gajeel blinked and nodded.

"Yeah, I guess so."

.:.:.:.

Levy stared at her notepad in awe. 900,000 Jewel a month? **(A/N: That's roughly $9,000 a month and $108,000 a year) **This job was going to treat her well.

"T-Thank you Lily! And Mr. Redfox." she said, smiling. This was turning out to be a good day. She still was a little scared of her boss, though. _Well, that can't be helped. I'm sure he's a nice man…_

"Good-bye Miss Levy. I trust we'll see you on Monday?" Pantherlily asked. Gajeel was silent.

"Bright and early. Good bye!" she chirped, and headed down the elevator with a little wave.

_Well, that could have gone worse. _Levy mused as she walked towards the subway station. _I mean, it's not like he was mean or anything. He just looks scary. And I'm sure that he's a nice man! Lily vouched for him, right? _

She frowned. It was too soon to have doubts about the character of her new boss. She hadn't even worked for him yet! _I'll see on Monday. Besides, the pay! _

In a sudden change of mood, she grinned. _With this, I'll be able to pay my rent for a few extra months, _and_ have money for new books! _Levy clasped her hands together, her eyes starry. _Ooh, I could add more to my library! Hmm, _Star Crossed Lovers _or _Twelve Angels in Paris_? _With renewed energy, she walked back to her apartment.

.:.:.:.

Meanwhile, Gajeel was thinking about the woman he was going to work with. Even though inside he was deep in thought, his exterior stayed stony.

"Whaddya grinnin' about?" he said, eyeing Pantherlily suspiciously. The man had the expression of a cat who ate the canary.

"Oh, nothing." he said calmly, despite his knowing smile. "You just seem quite taken with her."

"What?" he spluttered, his calm, lazy façade shattered. "I- I'm not 'taken with her'!"

"Oh, yes, you are." Pantherlily said, "You couldn't keep your eyes off of her the whole time."

"T-That's because her hair color is strange! What woman would have blue hair?" Gajeel scoffed. His ears were heating up, Lily noticed with satisfaction.

"You know two women with blue hair, Juvia and Wendy. Besides, you know a man with long green hair, and your own cousin has pink hair. Why does a little blue hair enrapture you?"

"I, she's really short!" Gajeel stammered.

Pantherlily raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, shaddup, 'Lil."

"Whatever you say, _Mr. Redfox_."

"Shaddup!"

Gajeel stalked from the room, ears glowing. _Stupid fucking meddler…_

.:.:.:.

As soon as Levy got home, she searched up her boss. Typing _Gajeel Redfox_ into came up with plenty of hits, so she clicked on one and read.

**_Gajeel Redfox, sole heir of MetaTech Corporations, age 21. _**_So not much older than me._ Levy thought, _He's young. _The article went on to list how he was raised by his father, Metallicana Redfox, and how he (Metallicana) went on to found MetaTech Corp. It also said that one day Metallicana disappeared, leaving Pantherlily (one of his executives) to tend to the company. _That's interesting… _Levy mused. _How can a wealthy business man just up and disappear? _ Apparently Gajeel became mixed up with a gang, Phantom Lord, with another future tycoon Juvia Lockser. She went on to make a fortune on bottled water and is partnered with Gray Fullbuster, owner of _Pendant_, the leading air conditioning company in Magnolia.

Levy went back to the search engine and looked at some pictures of Gajeel. Most were candid photos of him in suits, talking to the press or driving places in his fancy car. She noticed some older pictures of him in Phantom Lord, with a gang tattoo on his shoulder. He looked frightening, not only with his piercings and angular face, but his body was heavily built with thick, corded muscles and his arms were scarred. To top it all off, he wore studded gloves and shredded clothes. All in black, of course. But what scared Levy the most was the grin on his face. It wasn't a happy smile. It was a dark, cruel expression that said, "I like to hurt people!" He was looking directly at the camera.

Levy shuddered, clicking out of the picture. _That's going to give me nightmares. I haven't even started working for the man! _Scrolling down a little bit, she saw a few photos of him and Juvia Lockser, and a few with his abundant cousins.

He wasn't smiling in any of them.

* * *

**A/N: And that's all for chapter two!**

**Thanks to all five of you who reviewed. You know who you are. ;) **

**Shout out goes to ****Lumi Susi****! Thank you for your feedback and suggestions! :D Also…I'm sorry, the sections were pretty short this time too… -_-**"

**This AU is definitely going to be interesting.**

**I'm open to suggestions so if you have one leave a review!**

**Signing off, **

**Miss Quiet Writer **


	3. First Day

**A/N: OMG THOSE LATEST CHAPTERS OMG OMG OMG **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

The weekend passed uneventfully and Levy felt herself both dreading and eagerly awaiting Monday. It didn't help that Lucy kept on sending her 'good luck' texts to motivate her.

As the day approached, Levy got more and more nervous. What if she screwed up? Would she get fired? How many tries would it take for her to get booted to the curb? And more importantly, would she get paid before having to resort to minimum wage jobs?

Levy was right for being worried. On the first day of her new job, she slept right through her alarm, only waking when Lucy called to wish her good luck.

"Saved by the phone…" she muttered. After stumbling out of her apartment, she practically ran to the subway.

It was packed. "Just my luck." she groaned, but grabbed one of the loops hanging from the ceiling anyways.

She got off the subway and rushed to the MetaTech building. At this point Levy realized that heels were not the comfiest to walk to work in. "Dammit! I need better shoes…"

She managed to make it to the building on time and realized she hadn't had time to put in her contacts. She was stuck with her glasses once again. After fumbling through her purse and pockets to find her card, she decided to take the stairs and arrived at Gajeel's office disheveled.

"S-Sorry I'm late…" she gasped, trying to catch her breath. Her boss just had to have the top office, didn't he?

"Ah, Miss Levy. Glad you could make it." Lily smiled, taking in her appearance. "Gajeel, if you will?"

Levy stiffened slightly. That picture was still burned into her mind. "It's for you." he grunted, shoving a small black book towards her.

Levy took it and gingerly opened it. _Mmm, new book smell. _The little book, that appeared to be a daily calendar, was indeed new. Its pages were blank and the spine cracked a little when she spread it open.

"Thank you!" she smiled, whipping a pen out of her bag. "This'll definitely come in handy."

Gajeel was silent. Lily elbowed him and pointedly ignored the glare that was sent his way.

"…you're welcome."

.:.:.:.

For Gajeel, Monday was just like any other day. Other then, of course, that he now had a PA. Lily did most of the work, showing her around the building. The older man had very courteously cleared his schedule so the shrimp could learn the ropes. Unfortunately, Gajeel was forced to tag along. He was pretty sure the shrimp was avoiding looking at him too.

"-ajeel. Gajeel, do have anything to add?" Lily asked him, pulling Gajeel from his thoughts.

"No." He went back to zoning out.

"Well, that's all, Miss Levy. Why don't you and Gajeel take some time together? I'm sure he would love to get to know you better." he heard Lily say, and then the man had suddenly disappeared.

"Mr. Redfox? Let's head back to the office." the shrimp suggested, smiling nervously.

He nodded, and they walked back in silence.

Back at the office, Levy frowned. "Mr. Redfox?"

He cast a lazy eye towards her. What did she want? "Yeah?"

"Erm, where am I supposed to work?"

"What do you mean?" he drawled, leaning back in his chair.

"I don't have a desk or anything to work on. Plus, I need a computer if you want me to do some of your paperwork."

_Oh._ He hadn't thought about this.

"Um, I can bring my computer from home if you like!" she said.

"I didn't think of that." he muttered. "No, I'll bring up a desk and whatever tomorrow. Just bring office supplies. Computer will be included." _Crisis averted._

"Oh. Alright then!" All of her previous nervousness seemed to have dried up in an instant, and his spirits lifted. _What the fuck? _Why did he feel happy now? What was this damn woman doing to him?

He didn't notice the shrimp's faint smile.

.:.:.:.

Levy went home feeling much happier than before. Sure, she and her boss hadn't really talked, but he didn't seem that bad. Just a bit gruff.

Smiling to herself, she began to make her dinner. But just as she was about to take a bite, her phone rang. Picking it up, she cradled the phone between her ear and shoulder.

"Hello?"

"Levy! How are you? How was your first day?" a peppy voice called from the line.

"Hi, Lucy." Levy replied.

"Sooo, how was it?" Lucy asked.

"Actually not bad!" Levy said between mouthfuls.

"…" The phone was silent.

"Lucy?" Levy asked worriedly. "Is something wrong? Are you okay?"

"No, it's just… from what I heard from Natsu, Mr. Redfox is a difficult man to work with. Wasn't he in that gang, erm… Ghost King?"

"Oh, Phantom Lord?" Levy suggested.

"Yeah, that's the one!" Lucy cried. Levy could hear her typing something on a computer, most likely looking it up.

"Hmm, yeah, I didn't really ask him about it." Levy said, and Lucy hummed.

"I heard he's kind of violent and mean. There was a rumor a while back that he went on a rampage." Lucy said, her voice hushed. " Personally, I don't believe it. I mean, Natsu says he's a nice guy."

"O-Oh." Levy said. _Mr. Redfox _does_ seem like a good boss._ _I'm sure he's just rough on the outside. Like in Beauty and the Beast! _

The line went silent, and Levy knew Lucy was thinking as well.

"Oh, sorry, Lev. I gotta go!" Lucy said, pulling Levy out of her thoughts. "Natsu texted me, and apparently it's urgent. But you know, last time he ran out of that really spicy chili sauce he likes to eat with everything, sooo…" the blunette could practically hear Lucy rolling her eyes on the other side.

Levy chuckled. "Okay, bye!" she hung up, and finished her meal. _That was interesting…_

.:.:.:.

Gajeel pick up his phone. The caller ID read _Pyro_.

"Oi, Redfox."

"Hey, Metal-Brows!" Natsu replied good naturedly.

"Flame Head." Gajeel said in response. "Whaddya want?"

"No-thing, just checking up on you."

"You never call just to 'check up on me'." Gajeel said.

"Okay, fine! So, who's your new PA?" Natsu said curiously.

"Shr- Levy. Levy McGarden."

"Ohhh. Ohhh!"

Gajeel sighed and rubbed his face. "Why do you know my PA's name?"

"Y'know Luce, right?"

"The bunny chick?" Gajeel snorted. "How could I forget?"

"Yeah, well Loopy is Luce's best friend or whatever." Gajeel raised his metal eyebrows.

"It's Levy." Gajeel frowned, but his interest was piqued.

"Oh, right! Apparently ever since Levy moved here they hung out together. Lucy says that Levy likes to read a lot. Like, her entire place is filled with books! What a weirdo."

"Oi! That's _my_ PA you're talking about!" Gajeel replied defensively.

"Yeah, yeah."

"Anything else?"

"Mmmm… Nope! Catch ya later, Metal Head!" Gajeel frowned as the line went dead. _Pyro freak._

* * *

**A/N: More interesting plot stuffiziez!**

**Thanks to ****Lexie and the anime****, ****LumiSusi****, ****hjbickel****, ****the hemingway dilemma****, ****Whispurr10****, ****Bookmeister999****, and ****Giant Marshmallow**** for reviewing!**

**Shout-out goes to ****hjbickel****! Thanks for the question. Her job is ****_supposed_**** to be secretarial, but Gajeel thinks she should be a housekeeper for him as well. Boy, is he in for a surprise…**

**Lexie and the anime****: Sure, Gajeel's not a rapist, but his appearance and demeanor are scary, and he hasn't been totally kind to her, has he? And yes, he does like his Chinese food ;)**

**Also, suggestions? Seriously guys, I have none. **

**Signing off, **

**Miss Quiet Writer**


	4. Second Day

**A/N: I haven't said this before, but thank you soooo much to my wonderful editors and best friends in the whole world, ****FairyTailLover2013**** and ****waterinacan****! **

**Also, just to be clear, Gajeel is not cruel. He's learned from his mistakes at Phantom but at the same time turned into a stone faced business man with a sharp sense of humor. He may be mean, but it's because he is between that stage of heartlessness and genuine kindness. …if that doesn't make sense, tell me, okay?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. Also, I apologize for any and all mistakes I may make.**

* * *

The next day, a new MetaLap was sitting on a (also new) desk. Gajeel smirked, pleased with himself. He even got Lily to buy some desk thingies for organizing papers.

Satisfied with the new addition to his office, he sat at his own desk and put his feet on the table. A few stray papers fluttered to the ground. _I should get her to organize the office. Yeah, good idea._

Just as he was settling in for a nap, the shrimp walked in. She looked startled as she took in the state of the room. She probably thought this would be a cushy babysitting gig like working for his cousin. He grinned.

Interestingly enough, she didn't really look at him. Was the midget still afraid of him? She was mostly focused on her desk.

Gajeel surveyed her with cool eyes and spoke. "Oi."

"Uh, yes?" she started, jerking to attention.

"Pick up these papers." _I'm king of this castle._ He leaned back farther in his chair.

"_Excuse me_?" she frowned at him.

"I _said,_ pick up these papers."

She narrowed her eyes. "No."

_Oh no she didn't._

.:.:.:.

When she walked into work, the first thing she saw was the shiny, _new_ laptop sitting on her desk. Not even bothering to greet her boss, she went over and marveled at it. She hadn't had something this nice in years!

But when he told her to clean up his mess, her mood shattered. _What?_

"_Excuse me_?" she frowned at him.

"I _said,_ pick up these papers."

She narrowed her eyes. "No."

"Who exactly do you think you are?" she had caught her bosses' attention now.

_Oh no he didn't._

"I believe I signed up to be your secretary, not your housekeeper. I read the employment contract over three times and not once did it say I had to clean up after you." she said calmly.

Mr. Redfox looked startled.

"So shut up and pick up the papers." she glared at him.

.:.:.:.

_Well, damn._

The woman had spunk, he gave her that.

Gathering up a stack of new employee files, he dropped it on her desk. "File em'." The stack was at least a foot tall and he smirked. How long would it take her?

Shortstack grabbed the papers (staggering a little under the weight, he noted) and plopped them near a file cabinet.

"This one?" she asked.

"Yeah."

He watched her with a cool stare as she started. Merely glancing at one of them, she slotted it away. And she did that with the rest of the papers. She was finished in half an hour.

"Wait, wait… there's no way in hell you filed those correctly." He opened the drawer and grabbed the closest file. _Aloze, Max_, filed correctly under _A_.

_Damn, she's good._

"Yes?" she smirked, crossing her arms. "Do you have anything else for me to do, _Mr. Redfox_?"

"Err…" Once again, he was caught off guard.

_Dammit!_

"If there's nothing else for me to do, I'll just set up my new work space." She stuck out her hand. "It'll be nice working with you!" the shrimp said sweetly.

_What the fuck just happened?_

.:.:.:.

Levy smirked. Her lightning-fast reading speed came in handy yet again. Filing papers? Easy! Glancing at the clock, she noticed it had only taken her half an hour to complete it.

"Yes?" she crossed her arms, "Do you have anything else for me to do, _Mr. Redfox_?"

Even as he stuttered, she could see his ire rising. _Bad idea, Levy. Stand down!_ As Levy watched, she could practically hear the gears in his head grinding.

"Err…"

"If there's nothing else for me to do, I'll just set up my new work space. It'll be nice working with you!" she offered her hand out.

"Che." He scoffed, glaring at a random spot on the wall.

Levy shrugged and headed over to her (new! clean!) desk. Studying the laptop, she noted that it was the latest model, the MetaLap 777. Letting out an inner squeal, she opened it up.

After setting up her email and checking out some of the applications, she moved her attention on to the rest of the desk. Someone had meticulously placed stationary, pens, and office supplies into the various compartments of the desk. Levy frowned. But who? Surely the desks at the MetaTech office weren't all stocked like hers.

Frowning, she sat back and let out a loud breath. _Oh well. _

Was this a dream? Two weeks ago she was living off minimum wage jobs and now… she had her own _computer!_

"Oi. Put this in your book." Levy looked up, startled. Was she talking to her? As if in response, he gave her a look that said, _Who else would I be talking to?_

"We got a meeting with the rest of the city leaders tomorrow. Eleven o'clock, on the dot."

"Uh, yes!" she scrabbled for the little book and grabbed a pen. "Meeting… at eleven."

"Oh, yeah. There's a," he sighed, "formal luncheon after the meeting, so wear something nice."

_A luncheon! A meal with the rest of the PAs! _She wrote more in her notebook, circling the words _wear something nice_.

_It's all going so fast…_

.:.:.:.

Gajeel opened up his email. Being a tycoon and all, he got hundreds of emails every hour. After clicking past the junk and advertisements, he opened one from the geezer.

* * *

_Subject: Meeting at the Guild._

_Hello, Brats._

_I'm calling a meeting tomorrow. Attendance is mandatory. It will be held at eleven o'clock, and lunch will be held afterwards. Formal wear is encouraged._

_Late or underdressed persons will be forced to sit next to Porlyusica._

_Makarov Dreyer_

_Mayor of Magnolia_

_Life is an endless adventure!_

* * *

He groaned. _Damn mayor._

"Oi. Put this in your book." The shrimp looked around like an idiot and he gave her a look that said, _Who else would I be talking to?_

"We got a meeting with the rest of the city leaders tomorrow. Eleven o'clock, on the dot."

"Uh, yes! Meeting… at eleven."

"Oh, yeah. There's a," he sighed, "formal luncheon after the meeting, so wear something nice."

_ to crack out the hell-suits._

Even though Gajeel liked the benefits his job provided, the fancy shit that came with it wasn't worth it sometimes. He couldn't even tie his tie properly, for fuck's sake!

Before he knew it, his stomach was grumbling. "Oi."

"Y-yes?" she jerked, startled.

"I'm hungry."

"And…?"

"I'm gonna order takeout. What do you want?"

"Chinese?"

"Yup."

"Veggie chow mein."

Gajeel ordered, and the food came. He paid and grabbed a fork, offering Levy one.

"Nah." She snapped a pair of chopsticks apart and started chowing down. "What?"

He was looking at her incredulously. "How do you do that?"

"What?"

"Eat with chopsticks."

"I ate a lot of Asian food when I was a kid and my friend taught me how." she shrugged, and took another mouthful of her noodles.

"…"

"You learn something new every day!" she chirped.

_Huh. This woman just keeps on surprising me._

.:.:.:.

After two more hours of doing nothing, Levy was excused.

"What? But-"

"Go get ready for tomorrow or something."

"I can work more!"

"Doing what? I've got nothing for you to do, so you can leave."

_Oh._

"Okay… well, see you tomorrow, Mr. Redfox!" she waved, and headed out.

_I still can't believe how weird this is… Going home at two, getting my own work computer, having an above-average pay…_

_I mean, I have the rest of the day to do…what? Read?_

She sighed happily and kicked off her shoes. "Better get ready for the meeting tomorrow."

Searching through her closet, she selected a dress and laid it out. Eyeing it critically, she grabbed a matching pair of pumps and smiled. "Easy!"

"Now, what to eat for dinner…"

She settled down on her sofa with food and a good book. Just as she had gotten to the climax, her phone rang. Levy frowned.

"Hi Levy!" the voice on the other end said cheerfully.

"Lucy, what do you want?"

"Just checking in! How was your day?"

"Great, actually!" _Other than the fact that I'm probably going to be fired at the end of the month…_

"Good! I was worried."

"Nope! I'm fine." Levy closed her book. "So, what are you going to wear to the meeting tomorrow?"

"Hmm… Probably one of the pink ones we got at _Ellie's_. You?"

"I've dug out that yellow one that I wore to your disastrous cotillion."

"Oooh! The girls will love it!"

"The girls?" Levy asked warily.

"Oh, the other PAs!"

"Oh."

"Oop, Natsu's calling!"

"Okay, bye!"

"Au revoir!" Lucy made a kissy noise into the phone and hung up.

As the line clicked dead, Levy was silent. _The other PAs will be there. Wow, that'll be awkward._

She had seen some of the PAs before and they were all gorgeous. Mirajane Strauss, the mayor's personal assistant, had a side job as a magazine model. Levy often envied and admired her.

_I'm guessing they all accept Lucy because she is physically flawless like the rest of them. Why did I ever sign up for this?_

* * *

**A/N: Hello readers!**

**Thanks to ****Bookmeister999****, ****Lexie and the anime****, **** .chaos****, and ****Maviea**** for reviewing! **

**Shout out goes to ****Bookmeister999**** for her really good suggestion. :) I'm glad this made you at least a teensy bit happy.**

**Questions? Suggestions? Drop in a review.**

**Signing off, **

**Miss Quiet Writer**


	5. The Guild

**A/N: New chapter! **

**Ahhh… the latest chappie of FT… *fangirls* ehehehehehe…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

_Crap,crap, crap. _Levy thought frantically, wiping her sweaty palms on her dress. If this was one of her books, she'd jump out the window like Double-Oh-Seven and run away without a scratch. But this was reality, so she stuck out her hand to shake. The lady across from her smiled, and shook firmly.

"Levy, right? So nice to meet you."

.:.:.:.

A few hours previous, Levy was dressing when her phone chimed.

A text from a number she didn't recognize popped up. She tapped on it, reading the message.

_lily and i r coming to pick u up. we'll b there in 10. –redfox_

"Huh." Levy mused, "That's weird. I don't remember giving him my number." _He probably got it out of my file. Stalker._

Just as she finished tying her headband in place, she heard her intercom buzzed.

_"__Hello? Miss Levy?"_

"Hi, Lily! I'll be down in a sec."

She headed down, and saw Lily leaning against a steel-gray car. "Hello."

"Good morning!"

"You look very nice today, Miss Levy."

Levy blushed. "You don't look too bad yourself. And please, just Levy."

As Lily opened the door, she saw Gajeel glowering in the passenger seat. "Get in. Meeting's at eleven."

"Good morning to you, too." Levy grumbled, annoyed. "It's only ten."

"You'll need a ton of time since it's your first time at the Guild."

"Guild?"

It turns out the "Guild" was Magnolia's City Hall. The Magnolian tycoons called it that because they always met there and it was like a club to them. Levy had seen pictures, but City Hall was stunning in a way those photos couldn't convey. The building was enormous, with tall medieval-esque brickwork and a huge bell sitting on top. The mayor's crest (a fairy with a pointed tail) was shown on a banner in front. **(A/N: Like the guild building.) **It was a stark contrast to the modern look of the MetaTech building.

Gajeel led them in and the party filed into a large meeting room already bustling with people. Levy recognized the mayor, Makarov Dreyer, and his two assistants, Mirajane Strauss and Cana Alberona. A few other groups were there, like a pair of white-haired people: one a hulking man, the other a smaller, thinner version of Mirajane. Then she spotted Lucy.

"Lu!"

"Levy!"

Levy breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, a familiar face in the crowd! She hugged the blonde. "Hey, Lu. And, um, you're Mr. Dragneel, right?" she addressed the pink-haired man standing next to her best friend. For some reason he was wearing a scarf over his suit.

"Yeah! And, umm… you're…" he scratched his head like a little kid, tilting it to the side. "Loofy?"

Levy sweat dropped. Lucy sighed and shook her head. "This is my friend, _Levy_, Levy McGarden, remember? Sorry Levy, he's not good with names."

"Ohhh! Right!" he stuck out his hand, and they shook. He grinned at her. "Nice to meetcha, Levy!"

Levy was charmed by his friendly demeanor, and she smiled back. _If all business was like this, I'll get along just fine._

"I have to introduce you to the others!" Lucy pulled her away from the man. She led her to a shock of red hair in the back.

"This is Erza!" Levy gulped. Lucy just had to introduce her to the scariest character in the room, didn't she? Erza Scarlet, CEO of Magnolia Steel, a huge weapons plant. She was infamous for being harsh and _very _skilled with her own wares.

Levy gulped and held out her hand. "E-Erza Scarlet? It's n-nice to meet you." she said, trying to keep her voice from wavering.

"Levy, right?" Levy nodded. "So nice to meet you."

She shook firmly and released. Levy let out a breath of air. _Well, that wasn't so hard._

"You're… just so cute…" and then she was pulled into a hug, nearly getting her skull smashed on the other woman's bulletproof vest. Lucy grinned.

As soon as her head wasn't spinning, she hightailed it back to Mr. Redfox and Lily. "Ow."

"Erza?"

"Yup."

Lily grinned. "Levy, can you tie a tie?"

"Yes, why?" she asked.

"Gajeel needs his tied and he refuses to let me do it." Lily placed his hands Mr. Redfox's shoulders.

"Lil! No!" the long haired man whined, and ducked away from the older man.

"Mr. Redfox. Let me help." she said sternly, and he scowled.

"…fine."

It was a simple thing, really, but for some reason it felt… intimate. But then it was over, and she smiled.

"I'm finished." Levy said, straightening it out one last time. "You can stop pouting like a child now."

"I-I'm not!" he exclaimed.

She raised an eyebrow. "Yes, you are."

"Not!"

"Are!"

"Break it up, love birds." Their squabble was interrupted by Mirajane.

"We're not-" they spluttered, redfaced.

And then the meeting began.

.:.:.:.

When they picked her up, Gajeel felt scruffy. His tie was loose, his shirt hanging out, and he hadn't bothered to tie his hair back, even though he had an elastic band in his pocket.

Why did he care? It was just the runt.

_Ahhh well…Fuck it. _He pulled his hair back and tucked in his shirt, but left his tie hanging around his neck. Those things made him think he had a noose around his neck.

And when she came out, his heart stuttered. _What the fuck?_ It was just the shorty, for crying out loud.

She was wearing some kind of yellow dress. She looked nice. He banged his head against the dashboard. _Stupid brain._

Gajeel heard Lily greet her, then open the door.

"Get in. Meeting's at eleven." he didn't look at her.

"Good morning to you, too." Levy grumbled, clearly annoyed. "It's only ten."

"You'll need a ton of time since it's your first time at the Guild."

"Guild?"

As Lily filled her in, he stared out the window.

The Guild was close to her apartment, and soon they were there. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her looking at the building in awe.

When they got inside, she bounced over to her friend… Bunny… Girl? Ah, fuck it. Yeah, Bunny Girl.

He followed her around with his eyes, watching as she got introduced to the pyro. She met Titania, and he winced when the older woman pulled her in for a hug. That woman was friggin' _strong_.

"Gajeel. Your tie's untied." Lily pointed out.

"And?"

"Let me knot it."

"No! You always do it too tight."

The shrimp chose that moment to come back to them. She was clutching her head.

Lily grinned cheekily. "Levy, can you tie a tie?"

"Yes, why?" she asked. Gajeel groaned internally.

"Gajeel needs his tied and he refuses to let me do it." Lily placed his hands Mr. Redfox's shoulders.

"Lil! No!" the long haired man whined, and ducked away from the older man.

"Mr. Redfox. Let me help." she said sternly, and he scowled. _Dammit! Those eyes…_ She stared at him firmly

"…fine." Lily had done it for him countless times before, but this was different. Something had changed. Her fingers grazed his neck, and he shivered involuntarily.

"I'm finished." Levy said, straightening it out one last time. "You can stop acting like a child now."

And then the strange feeling was gone.

.:.:.:.

"Sit down, everyone!" Mirajane clapped her hands, and sat near the head of the table. "Let's begin."

"Welcome." All the people in the room sat, and the man at the head of the table stood. He was dressed sharply in a black suit and had thinning gray hair. Makarov Dreyar, Mayor of Magnolia. "As you all know, we are here to meet and discuss some important issues in Magnolia. But first, let's greet our newest addition, Levy McGarden." He smiled kindly at her. The tycoons whooped and patted Levy on the back as she blushed. "Now, status reports." he gestured to the white haired couple Levy had seen earlier.

The girl stood up. "Magnolian-"

"Names first, please. I'm sure Miss Levy here would like to learn them."

"Right. I'm Lisanna Strauss and this is my brother, Elfman." The girl smiled and waved at Levy. "We found there has been an increase in Magnolian forest fires. We have been doing our best to warn citizens, but a handful perished." she looked away, and her brother patted her on the back. "O-One of our animal shelters was too close to the fire and at least a dozen men and women died and more than a hundred animals di-didn't make it." She said, wiping her eyes.

"And I can assure you, I have contacted the fire department and they are on the lookout." Erza stood up, giving her warm look. "We are doing everything we can to stop these fires." Reaching across the table, she took Lisanna's hand.

"Thank you, Lisanna, Elfman, Erza." the mayor stood back up. "Now, Natsu?"

"Uh… Luce, take this one."

Sighing, Lucy stood and read off of her notepad.

"I'm Lucy, this is Natsu." Lucy motioned to the man sitting next to her. "Okays, as you all know, the Magnolia Cherry Blossom Festival is coming up, and Igneous Pyrotechnics is almost finished with the new fireworks for the holiday. We estimate it will be about a week before they're ready to be used." Lucy said, filling in for her boss.

"Thank you, Lucy. I look forward to seeing it." the mayor grinned, "Laxus?"

A scary looking blonde man stood up. he had a scar over one of his eyes and was wearing his suit jacket over his shoulders. _Weird… _Levy thought.

"Laxus. Ever, Bickslow, Fried." He pointed to the three people sitting around him. The green haired one smiled politely while the other man with the creepy eyes stuck out his tongue. "Nothing here." He shrugged, crossing his arms.

"Alright, then, Juvia, Gray?"

Two people stood up this time, one a blue haired woman with long, curly hair and a man with a small scar above his eye.

"This is Juvia, I'm Gray." The man said, "Ocean AC **(A/N: Gray has an air-conditioning company)** is booming. New houses equal more sales and with summer just around the corner, lots of people are looking to upgrade and refurbish." His voice was cold as ice.

"Drip Drop Water is doing well. Juvia found that sales are skyrocketing thanks to, again, the incoming summer." The woman bowed. "Juvia has nothing else to say."

"Thank you Juvia, Gray." The mayor gave her a smile and stood. "Cobra? Anything?"

A spiky haired man sitting in the corner shook his head. "Nope."

"Ah, then Miss Porlyusica. Do you have anything to add?"

"Humans are idiots." An older lady with a pink bun glowered at the mayor. At her side, a young girl with long blue hair squirmed in her seat. "Stop fidgeting, girl!" she barked.

"Thank you for that insight. Last but not least, Gajeel." He gestured to Levy's boss.

"Yeah, yeah." Rather than standing up, Mr. Redfox slouched lower in his seat. "With the new tech, business is booming. New items like the MetaWatch and the updated MetaLaps are providing more income. The sci guys down at the labs are working to create a better, faster, more innovative lacrima phone."

With that, the tycoons broke out into murmurs.

Gajeel went on, "Everyone in this room is eligible to have one ahead of the release date." He grinned. "For free."

"Woah!" Natsu (Levy didn't think of him as Mr. Dragneel anymore) pumped his fist. "Niiice!"

The people in the room grinned and exchanged glances.

"This'll revolutionize Fiore, maybe even change world." Mr. Redfox said, spreading out his arms. "Top that, Fire Breath!"

"Arrr!" Natsu charged at him, fists flying.

"Ah!" Levy put her hands to her mouth, eyes wide.

"Don't worry." Mirajane put her hand on Levy's shoulder. "It's always like this."

"B-but, won't they get hurt?" Levy asked worriedly.

"It'll be fine!" Lucy chimed in. "The bumps go away after a day or two. Besides, they're oddly considerate of each other."

"How is beating each other senseless considerate?!"

"Well, they try to avoid the face if the other one has meetings, although they'll never admit that." Lisanna said, holding up a finger. "Nice to meet you! I'm Lisanna, and this is my big sis Mira!"

"Nice to meet you." Levy said. _These girls aren't so bad after all…_

A crowd of girls gathered around Levy, all clamoring to greet her.

"Uh, Miss Levy." the blue haired girl that sat next to Porlyusica waved. "Hello! I-I'm Wendy."

"Juvia is pleased to meet you, Levy-san. Stay away from Juvia's Gray!"

"Yo! Cana, nice to meetcha."

"Hi, Levy! I'm Kinana, Cobra's PA!"

"Evergreen. Nice to meet you."

"Uh, thank you!" Levy said, flustered.

"Welcome to the Guild!"

**A/N: It's taken me five chapters to get to this point… Hee. But anyways, thanks for all your support. It really motivates me to write. :) **

**Thanks to ****Circus Monster 2002****, ****Kiri5920****, ****Lexie and the anime****, ****PreciousThing****, ****virgo-sorelli****, ****Bookmeister999****, and ****Maviea**** for reviewing!**

**As always, thanks to my editors/betas/super awesome friends ****waterinacan**** and**** FairyTailLover2013****!**

**Special shout out goes to ****Circus Monster 2002**** for your really good suggestion. I would love to… when I get a chance. **

**Signing off, **

**Miss Quiet Writer**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: So you know in Chapter 437 of the manga (this is not a spoiler) Warren says he invented the "compact communications lacrima"?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

"Welcome to the Guild!"

Levy smiled. She was going to like it here.

.:.:.:.

The lunch passed without incident and Levy met all of the tycoons. She found they were really interesting and quirky. They just seemed like regular people.

Take Gray, for instance. While he was cool on the outside, he had a strange habit of losing his clothes (much to Levy's embarrassment). To her amusement, the men got into brawls a lot were super scared of Erza.

It was the most fun she'd had in a long time.

.:.:.:.

After a few days working for Mr. Redfox, Levy got used to the ebb and flow of work. So when he asked her to come to the labs with him, she was surprised.

"What?"

"Do ya wanna come down to the labs with me?"

"Uh, sure!" grabbing her notepad and a pen, she hustled into the elevator with him. "Which floor are we headed to?" she scanned her ID and hovered her hand over the buttons.

"GL3." Punching it in, Levy stood back as the elevator fell.

"What does that stand for?" she asked.

"What?"

"GL3."

"Ground, lab two."

"But the lobby is L, so what's ground?"

"The MetaTech labs are underground."

"Really?" Levy gasped. "Wow."

"Yeah. We have three underground levels." Gajeel grinned. "They're massive. Only two are used for the scientists. The uppermost one is the parking garage."

"Oh, I see."

The elevator flashed the levels. _20…19…18…17…_

As they got closer to the ground level, a heavy silence fell over them. It happened a lot, really. But that still didn't make it any better.

"So… what are we checking up on?"

"The new lacrima telephone. Doctor Warren Rocko wanted to get it approved before they start mass producing it." Gajeel said, straightening his suit sleeves.

"Mr. Redfox, you're really bad at tying those things." Levy motioned to his tie. The knot was wrinkled and crooked. "Let me?"

"Fine, fine." He sighed, and Levy handed him her notepad. "Hold this for me."

.:.:.:.

They got out of the elevator and Gajeel exhaled. Elevators always made him nervous.

"Ah, Gajeel!" a young man in a lab coat greeted them, "Glad you could make it."

"Rocko." He grunted.

"You must be Miss McGarden." He smiled and shook her hand.

"Y-You're so young!" she stammered, "Uh, sorry."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I get that a lot. Gajeel here hired me right after I got my degree."

"And he's the best damn thing that ever happened." It was true. Warren invented half of the tech they sold, and reimagined the other half.

"Wow! That's amazing! So, what are we looking at?" the shrimp asked. Her eyes were already getting shiny with excitement.

"Well, you know of lacrimas, right?" Warren said. "Do you have a fire lacrima in your house?"

"Yes, why?" the short stack's curiosity was sparked.

"Well, the new cell phones use a lacrima compound. It's exciting stuff, I mean, we're the first people to even think about this. Lacrima is such an abundant resource, and we use it for so many things but we've only just scratched the surface." He was waving his arms around wildly. "Our research opens up a whole other world of possibilities! New medicine! Faster, smarter tech! The prospects of this idea are enormous!"

"Wow…" the shorty was nodding, enraptured. _What the fuck?_

"I know! We can make fuel to last us millions of years into the future! It's incredible."

"Yeah, yeah. The phones?" Gajeel waved his arms, motioning to another door.

"Ah, yes." The scientist grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. "This way, please."

He led them through a steel door to a room that looked like a security check in airports. Gajeel set down his suit jacket and emptied his pockets, stepping through the scanners with practiced ease. The shrimp stood at the doorway, staring. "What's all this?"

"It's security." Gajeel shrugged, glancing at her.

"MetaTech Labs have cutting edge technology. This is just a safety precaution," Dr. Rocko assured her, "to ensure that none of our competitors get ahold of our work."

"O-oh." The midget nodded and put her stuff on the conveyor belt and walked through the scanner.

Gajeel nodded to the guard, and they headed into the labs.

It was nothing he hadn't seen before. The ceilings were tall, and droves of white coats milled around. Rocko flitted off to find his prototype.

"Gajeel." One of Laxus's assistants was here. _Fuck, what was his na-? Right, Fried._

"Fried. What brings you down here?" he asked.

"Just taking a look around." he answered, "And checking if your chargers for this new miracle worker are up to regulation."

"Go ahead. But if ya have questions, ask Rocko here." He jabbed his thumb at the shorter man.

"Here it is!" Rocko held up a small box triumphantly. "Come, have a look!" he pried it open, and nestled inside was a phone.

"It doesn't look that special…" Gajeel frowned.

"Have a go." He handed the device to Gajeel. "Careful, careful!"

The thing lit up and Levy gasped. He forgot the short stack was standing next to him. The display was bright and the colors seemed to pop out at him.

"Nice."

.:.:.:.

"That was amazing!" the shrimp was gushing. They had left the lab and were heading back to the office.

"Yeah." He grunted. And it kind of was. "Now you need to plan a gala."

"Huh?"

"We're going to announce this to the world."

* * *

**A/N: …that was a weird ending… **

**Sorry about that! I've had a busy couple of weeks and now am going on hiatus. I've had major writer's block lately. :(**

**Thanks to ****Maviea**** and ****Lexie and the anime**** for reviewing. **

**Signing off,**

**Miss Quiet Writer**


	7. Party Planning

**A/N: I'm so sorry! I've been on vacation and so many things are happening and augh so I didn't get to write as much as I used to these last weeks. So here's an extra long chappie to say sorry.**

**Also, this chapter is dedicated to ****Bookmeister999**** for suggesting that they go to an event. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

"What? Don't you want a party planner?"

"That's what I'm paying you for."

Levy sighed. The MetaCell's release was coming out soon, Mr. Redfox wanted to showcase it during an extravagant party. Which had to be planned by her.

Why had she gotten herself into this?

The next months had her comparing it to end of year exams in college. There were so many things that they needed, from food to décor to the style of the napkins. And it all had to be coordinated.

"This morning we have a meeting with the florist, head chef and venue owner. We'll take a cab back here," she gestured to the office, "and then eat lunch and review the guest list. You need to decide what to wear." Levy handed some papers to her boss and he glanced over them. She grinned. "Also, you need to choose who you're going to take to your gala."

"Wait, what?" Mr. Redfox looked up.

"The press is expecting you to have some eye candy on your arm. After all, this might be the biggest night of your business career."

They went to the florist and picked out some beautiful arrangements for the party. Well, Mr. Redfox did. It was very strange… Levy didn't think he would be into these things.

"Mr. Redfox, we have a meeting soon." her boss was still musing over flowers and asking the florist questions.

"Just a minute." he said, engrossed in the flowers. He scratched something on his notebook. "Give me a minute. Call the cab."

"Okay…" _Weird. But kind of… cute._

Levy giggled.

.:.:.:.

They met with the florist and the chef before it finally set in. The shrimp was right. This probably _would_ be the biggest night of his life. He had to choose wisely, and fast.

He thought about it all through the meeting with the venue owner. The short stack wasn't too happy about that.

_Rain Woman? _They were good friends, but… _I bet she'd want to go with the stripper. Titania? Hell no. She's taken, anyways. Barmaid? No fucking way. That woman's a monster. That would leave Bunny Gi- nah. The Flame Idiot would probably get all riled up and start a brawl. And with the press swarming like flies to a corpse… _There was no way in hell he was going to let some scandal like that hit the papers.

"Mr. Redfox, _focus_." she glanced at him, annoyed. He was spacing out again. Her eye twitched adorably and he let out a tiny _gihi_.

"Yeah, yeah."

_That animal girl? Stone Eyes? The one with green hair- wait, Fried's a guy. _This was going to be harder than he thought.

He listed off every female in Magnolia. He even thought about the food blogger _Miss Terrie _and she wasn't even remotely well-known. HHHHHHe found some sort of fault in all of them, like how model Claire Fishe was too tall or how actress Sara Haller had a weird name.

The event was in a month, and now he was freaking out. He had already sent out the guest list, so who was left?

The next day was a rush of party planning and checking over RSVPs. Practically every guest invited came, with the exception of one major business owner who was sending a representative in his place. The clock was ticking down the hours to the gala and he had to ask, fast. The press was buzzing, so he did what any half-insane man would do: talk to his friends.

"Well, I don't see what the problem is here." Mirajane cocked her head, holding a glass of white wine. "I could hook you up with this girl-"

"No thanks." The tycoons had gathered at a secluded bar to chat when Gajeel brought up his problem. Everyone in their group had a date. Juvia with Gray, Erza with Jellal… even Wendy was going with Romeo. The only two people who didn't have dates were Laxus and Mira. Laxus had his posse and Mira was accompanying the mayor.

"What about one of the girls from Crocus?" Juvia suggested. "Juvia hears they are very nice."

"Nah."

"Why not?" Juvia asked.

"Woman, the last time you tried to set me up the lady was a crazy bitch." He still had nightmares of long red hair and soulless eyes. **(Any guesses on who this is?)**

"Well, Juvia can't help it if Gajeel wasn't acting like a gentleman," she pouted, poking his chest. "Gajeel needs to learn to control his temper."

He spluttered, and Juvia gave him a knowing smile. "Juvia would just like for Gajeel to keep an open mind. Then, Juvia is sure Gajeel will have no problem finding a lady."

"C'mon Rustbucket, who do you think of when you hear the phrase 'pretty woman'?" Cana slurred.

_Pretty woman?_

His mind wandered from magazine models to… Gajeel's eyes widened.

"Y'know, what's Levy going to do for this?" Lucy was talking quietly to Natsu. "She's been planning this entire thing. She deserves to have a nice date.

.:.:.:.

"Sorry!" Levy blushed, holding out her hands. "It's just… I already have one."

"Whaaat?!" Lucy screeched. "So I did all that planning for nothing? Do you know how hard it was to convince Fried?!"

The man standing next to the blonde smiled. "That's alright, Miss Lucy. Farewell, ladies." He bowed and walked out of the building.

"Levy, Fried is perfect for you! Why'd you turn him down?" she glared, "And I know you don't have a date."

"Actually, I do." Levy shrugged, still blushing. "Besides, I think Fried wants to accompany Laxus."

"What? Wait, who asked you?" Lucy shrieked, shaking Levy.

"Lu… please stop shaking me." The smaller girl said.

"Oh. Right. Sorry." Lucy's eyes lit up. "Tell me everything!"

"Um, so I had just gotten into work…"

.:.:.:.

A few hours earlier, Levy was getting ready for the busy day ahead. While she tidied up her desk, she noticed that Gajeel was strangely silent. Usually, he'd call for her to read the day's schedule right off the bat. Something was off.

"Mr. Redfox?"

"Whuh?" Her boss looked startled. Odd, since he was staring at her intently.

"Don't you want to know the schedule?"

"Mmm." He grunted. "Go on."

"We have meetings with most of our suppliers. Luckily, today is mostly just you signing paperwork." She recited on, "You also need to start writing your speech-"

The buzzing intercom filled the office and Levy walked over to speak. "Hi, Marilyn. What's up?"

"Sorry, am I interrupting something?" the cheerful receptionist asked. "You have a visitor."

"No, nothing at all." Levy replied, "But Mr. Redfox isn't expecting anyone."

"Oh, no, it's not for the boss. He's here for you!" the woman chirped, "Should I send him up?"

"Sure, I guess." Levy frowned. "But I wasn't expecting anyone either."

The elevator dinged, and a man stepped out. "Miss McGarden?" He was undoubtedly handsome, and Levy blushed.

"Yes, that would be me." Levy fiddled with the hem of her blazer self-consciously. _Who _was_ this guy?_

"My name is Hibiki." the strange man bowed and put his hand to his temple.

"And, you see, I find you very attractive." The bluenette squeaked. "So would you do me the honor of being my date to the ball?" He knelt, while whipping out a bouquet of flowers.

"Ah, well, this is very… sudden." Levy panicked. "C-Could you give me a few days? I have a lot on my plate right now, I'm sure you understand…"

"But I can't wait that long!" Her eye twitched.

"I-It's just two or three days."

"My heart yearns for you!" the man threw himself at her feet. Levy sighed.

"Get off of me." She shook him off, giving him a look of disgust. Levy dropped the bouquet on his head. "Ugh, the answer is no. I don't even know you!"

"But, my darling! Surely you wouldn't want to miss out. I am a very good lover-" he reached for her hand, which she quickly snatched away.

"She isn't interested." Gajeel growled, making both of them jump. Levy had forgotten he was in the room.

"Excuse me, sir, but she doesn't have a man to take her to the gala. It is just perfect! Of course she's interested." Hibiki stood up, dusting off his clothes.

"No, I'm not." Levy said, and was immediately spoken over.

"What would you know, pretty-boy?" Mr. Redfox sneered.

"Because I know women, unlike brutes like you." Hibiki gave him an equally menacing look, "and, as said before, she isn't going with anyone."

"She's going with me."

.:.:.:.

Lucy squealed, clasping her hands. "Did he confess his undying love?"

"What?" Levy, on the other hand, was practically glowing. "Okay, first of all, he's my boss so that's inappropriate. Secondly, we're just going as friends. He's grateful that I planned all of this. It's completely platonic!"

"Suuure."

"Yes!"

Lucy sighed. "Oh well. Call me later?"

"Of course! See you later, Lu."

.:.:.:.

As soon as she left to talk with the blonde chick, he panicked. What the hell was he thinking? Telling his PA, of all fucking people, to go with him. What a screw up. What will the press say? They'll tear right into her. Although he was feeling fucked up, he had to admit the look on the bastard's face was priceless. But… what was he going to do?

When the pretty boy fled, she was so relieved he couldn't take it back. He established they would be going as friends, but…women assumed too much. What if she took it the wrong way? Relationships were frickin' resource wasters. Money, time,_ energy_. He really didn't need some- some distraction interfering with his work. He fired distactions. Not to mention that the shrimp was a _fuck ton_ better than working on his own.

Metallicana said he had to deal with his decisions, so he was going to own up to them. He'd deal with the press and buy her a flower thingy. Where was his notebook?

"Ha!" holding it up, he smiled grimly. _Might as well start now. _

The shrimp's voice flitted through his head. _"You also need to start writing your speech-"_

His speech! Perfect. Gajeel smirked. It was all fitting together.

The elevator dinged and the shorty walked out. For some reason, the atmosphere in the office changed. Her eyes widened, and she hurried to her desk. It was the shrimp who finally spoke. "We should go. To the florist."

"Oh. Yeah."

_This is why women are too much work._

* * *

**A/N: As you can see, Gajeel's attitude towards women is… a little crass. The explanation will come up later, so no spoilers!**

**Sorry to the Hibiki fans out there.**

**Thank you to the three ****Guests****, ****Maviea****, ****Lexie and the anime****, and ****BurningChocolates34****.**

**Shout out to ****BurningChocolates34 ****for encouraging me to get out of my slump and stop procrastinating! **

**Signing off,**

**MQW**


	8. Before the Gala

**A/N: I actually wrote the first scene for this on a plane… more than two months** **ago. It's a really weird sensation, sitting next to your mom and writing fluff…**

**Annnnnd then I had to cut it. Oh well. '3'**

**Sorry, these sections are really short. But look out for cameos! They'll be from my fandoms (listed on my profile.)**

**This took so long and I apologize (and do a dogeza) to you all. Psh, it's not like I was distracted by Tumblr. Or Skype. Heh. Please enjoy a slightly longish, painstakingly edited chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

Levy strolled into the office happy. Even with the impending gala, today was solely filing loose papers and reading RSPVs. Plus, Mr. Redfox was at meetings all morning, so she could avoid any awkward situations. She had the office all to herself.

.:.:.:.

Gajeel smirked. His meeting got out early and he was more than satisfied. The complimentary lunch was delicious.

Both the press and the other tycoons were eating up news about the Meta Cell. Business owners from all over the world were coming to the ball. One group was even coming from as far as Death City, Nevada.

He stood in front of his private elevator, waiting. The elevator arrived and he stepped in.

Gajeel arrived to a quiet office, the shorty barely looking up as she tapped away on her computer. He opened up his own laptop and started checking through his emails. Absentmindedly, he also glanced over to the shrimp.

It was almost close to _that _day. Gajeel shook his head, clearing the thought from his mind. He couldn't afford distractions right now. There was the shrimp's corsage, the last- fucking- people who didn't RSVP and the fact that the b_iggest night of his career was coming up in a week_. He wasn't stressed, just... tired. He seemed to be tired a lot lately.

_Ah, fuck. _He was practically giddy a few minutes ago! What the hell was wrong with him? Now all he wanted was some takeout and to conk out on his couch.

She _probably had a nice, normal family. Look at her, always so damn happy. _Gajeel forced his eyes back to his computer. _Whereas mine is fucked up. Ah, fuck._

"Oh! Mr. Redfox, have you finished your speech? The shorty tilted her head, casting her brown eyes towards him. _Stop distracting me. _

"Yeah." He shifted slightly in his seat. _Lie. _

"Would you like me to edit for you? My major _was _English."

"Nah. 'M fine." _Lie. _

"Okay." She smiled sweetly at him and he felt some of his bad feelings evaporate against his will. Being in a bad mood made him feel stronger, feel in control. Why did that go away just because of her smile? He had plenty of women doing worse, but they never had this kind of control over him.

"Gajeel."

"Eh?"

"Call me Gajeel. Not Mr. Redfox." He looked away.

"Oh, I... okay." He could feel her beaming at him. _STOP. _

"I-It's only cuz the Ass-Flame calls Bunny Chick by her name! Not anything else." He said quickly, ears turning red. He felt some more of his bad mood pile up. _What the fuck was she doing?_

"Alright, _Gajeel_."

She made him want to throw himself into her arms.

_Fuck._

.:.:.:.

Levy looked worriedly at Mr.- Gajeel. There was definitely something weighing on his mind. "Gajeel, if it's about the event, it'll be fine!" she blurted.

"Eh?"

"Uh-I'll do my best to support you!" He said nothing, and she slumped. _It wasn't about the ball._

"Hey, do you want to go get some lunch? I heard there's this great place-" she stopped suddenly when she saw Gajeel's face. Instead of his usual expressions that made his face look scarier than it really was, this one made him look... vulnerable. Closing his eyes, his features smoothed out.

"Let's go."

"Ah... okay."

Gajeel acted fine the rest of the day, but Levy sensed something else just beneath his façade. Something was bothering him, and it was big. Levy knew next to nothing about her boss, so she researched the only way she knew how.

The wiki page popped up in her browser and she clicked through it. _Trouble with the gangs? No, with all the publicity around him, that would be disastrous. _She scrolled down, glancing past made up scandals with so-and-so and the designers he wore during such-and-such. A caption caught her eye.

_Metallicana Redfox's Dissapearance._

_On July 7__th__, X777, Metallicana Redfox mysteriously disappeared_ _along with his longtime business associates_ _Igneel Dragneel, Grandeeny Marvel, Weisslogia Eucliffe and Skiadrum Cheney. The five tycoons were declared dead and on August 13__th__, X778, and MetaTech Corp. was turned over to Gajeel Redfox. He_ _was 13. _

"Thirteen..." _Wow. That must have been tough. _

_Pantherlily Edo was chosen as Gajeel's caretaker and held control of the company in Gajeel's stead for about six and a half years. Gajeel became the official owner of the company when he was_ _20 years old. Gajeel went to college at..._

"I'm such an idiot..." She smacked her forehead. "How could I have forgotten? It's going to be July 7th in two days!" She grabbed her laptop and read the article again. _July 7__th__, X777? _

"That means this is the ninth year they've been missing..."

.:.:.:.

Gajeel was in his apartment around the time Levy realized why he was so pissed. He flopped onto his couch and loosened his tie. Gajeel scowled. He seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. "Aaah, what a shitty day..." It all went downhill from the shrimp. She was distracting him, and he couldn't focus when he was around her. It was that blue hair...

He winced as he felt the beginnings of a migraine pound against his skull. _Chinese? Chinese. _He ate and promptly fell asleep on his couch. It was too far to walk the bed. Well, it's not like he slept on it much anyways.

The man slipped into a dream.

_There was a man with his back to him. He had long black hair like Gajeel, but somewhere in the back of his head he knew who it was. "Pops! Pops!" He ran towards him, but the man always got further and further away. "M-Metallicana! Pops! Dad..." _

_Then he was a kid again, crying at Metallicana's funeral. There was no coffin, just a framed picture surrounded by flowers. "No...NO!" he lunged at the display, strong arms holding him back. _

_"Shhh, shhh." _

Then, a feminine face framed by blue hair appeared and something cool was on his forehead. His face was wet, although he didn't know whether it was from the compress on his forehead or the dream.

"Gajeel. _Gajeel."_

"Shr-Shrimp." his voice cracked with sleep. "What are you doing here?"

"Lily, he's awake!" she called gently to the general area of his kitchenette. "Lily came to get me when you didn't show up at the office. He let me in with his key. I hope you don't mind. We tried to wake you up, but..." Her voice trailed off. _You were delirious, _her face said.

"Where is he?"

"In the kitchen, making you some breakfast. You're scheduled to address the public this morning."

_Shit. Right. _Just what he needed. "You'd better get ready. Honestly, you're a mess." He surveyed himself, taking in his rumpled suit and the takeout cartons on the coffee table. The shrimp was looking at him worriedly.

"I- Imma take a shower." He grunted, heading for his room. It definitely cleared his head, the shower. After grabbing a clean suit, he headed out to eat.

"Gajeel?"

"Mmm."

"Are you okay?"

"...yeah." and Gajeel realized it was true. Right now, with her here, he felt at ease.

The shrimp excused herself to the bathroom and Lily came out of his kitchen. Gajeel started on a piece of toast and ate a bite of eggs. "Eat up, Lover-Boy. You've got a big day ahead of you." Lily stated, pushing more food towards him. Gajeel choked on his food.

Coughing violently, he said, "What the hell, Lil?!"

"I heard you finally asked Miss Levy here to the ball."

"Yeah, so?" Would the fork bend if he tried hard enough? "We're just going as friends."

Lil gave him a look but relented. "Whatever you say."

Gajeel played with his food some more, taking a few more bites. He chewed without tasting.

The shorty appeared out of nowhere, grabbing her purse. "We should get going, Gajeel. The conference starts at eleven and it's almost ten."

"I'll drive." Lily offered, and they were off.

They sat in the backseat of Lily's car, a slightly gloomy atmosphere hanging over them. The shrimp broke the silence.

"The conference ends at twelve so we can grab a bite to eat before heading to the office. We need to do a final run-through of everything, annnnnnd..." She rummaged through her purse. "I brought a copy of your speech!" Holding up a folded piece of paper, she tucked it in his breast pocket. "Just in case."

_Mavis be damned. _He reached over and ruffled her hair. "Thanks."

Her smile quickly turned to disbelief. "I'm starting to think you have something against ties."

"What?"

"It's untied." She narrowed her eyes at him. He shrugged. Sighing, she reached over to knot it anyways.

They pulled up to the city (guild) hall and were immediately swarmed by reporters. Gajeel scowled. "How the hell am I supposed to get inside with all these fuckers in the way?"

Lily gave him a disapproving look. "What?"

"I'll clear the way." The three filed out with Lily in front and Levy bringing up the rear. Reporters usually irked Gajeel, and today was no different. Taking a breath, he closed his eyes and ignored them. They made it through without incident, Lily's tall silhouette slicing through the journalists. The shrimp seemed pretty shaken up afterwards, though.

"You did good." He patted her shoulder.

"Thanks."

* * *

**A/N: And now, since I'm a lazy butt I'm cutting it off there. And yes, I'm going to over use the tie thing. A lot. **

**Thanks to** **Musicbooks.2011, Kiri5920, Lexie and the anime, and Maviea for reviewing!**

**Hey, Circus Monster 2002! Remember wayyy back in chapter 4 when you reviewed asking for a Lucy pov story like this? I'm planning a chapter only from Lucy's point of view, so look out for it!**

**Signing off,**

**MQW**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hey guys! This chapter is the gala! Finally, huh?**

**Thanks for waiting so long! ^u^; I hope you enjoy this longer chapter! **

**Soul Eater fans here? A little treat is waiting because why not.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail (or Soul Eater).**

* * *

Levy trotted into the ballroom, awestruck. The decorations made it look so much _grander, _like something from a fairy tale. Looking around, she spotted Lily's head amongst the workers.

"Lily! You look sharp." Levy commented, eyeing him appreciatively. Lily had dressed simply, his crisp white shirt contrasting with the deep black of his suit.

"You don't look too bad yourself." Lily replied. Levy beamed, curtseying. Today she felt like something out of a fairy tale herself. She had chosen a silver-gray dress that hugged her figure and flared out from the waist in sharp pleats. The sleeves, essentially thick straps that hung off her shoulders, made the dress feel very airy without being exposing.

"Thank you!" Levy looked around, straining her neck. "Where's Gajeel?"

"That eager to see him?" Lily said, giving her a catlike grin.

"N-No!" Levy replied a little too forcefully, waving her hands in front of her face. "Just curious, that's all."

"He's still getting ready."

"Ah, I see." Levy murmured. "Ah, I'd better get going, you know, make sure everything's running smoothly and all." She sputtered, waving sloppily to Lily.

Lily nodded. "I see. Good-bye." Levy headed off to the kitchens, wobbling a bit on her heels. She peeked in to see the chefs hard at work, preparing their meal for the night. She watched the servers set tables and the florists arrange flowers.

Soon, the room was still. The servers went to the kitchen to await their orders and all the other workers disappeared, clearing out for the guests. Levy let out a breath. Tonight was the night. She wasn't even speaking and she was feeling antsy. She couldn't imagine how Gajeel felt.

The thing she was looking forward to the most was Gajeel's speech. For some reason, he was being very secretive about it. He wouldn't even let her look at his computer. Just the other day, she was leaned over his shoulder to help him with his laptop and he slammed it shut, almost smashing her fingers.

"He better have a fantastic speech written." The doors opened, and Levy turned to see Gajeel standing in the entryway.

"Levy." Was it just her imagination, or did his voice sound dry?

.:.:.:.

The tycoon in question stood in a side room, off of the main hall. Gajeel shrugged on his jacket, inspecting it in the mirror. Exhaling, he stared at himself. It was time.

Was he nervous? _Hell yes. _

Was he going to show it? _Hell no._

_"_Levy's waiting in the ballroom." Lily stood in the doorway. "You'd better hurry."

"Yeah." Gajeel turned, "I'm coming."

He strode down the hall, pushing the grand doors to the ballroom open.

"L-Levy." His voice dried up. She was wearing a dress that was all folds and edges, contrasting dramatically with the woman inside. She looked, well, really good.

"Gajeel." She replied, nodding.

"Let's go."

"Mm."

Together, they stood at the entrance as the cars pulled up. First came the Magnolia tycoons. Cana waggled her eyebrows at the two. "You coming to the after party?" she asked, "It's gonna be great."

"You're on, Alberona." Gajeel smirked and slapped his hand into hers.

"That sounds great, Cana!" The shrimp smiled beside him.

An hour passed, and the guests were still arriving. Gajeel greeted a young man with strange white hair.

"Solomon Evans." He shook the white haired man's hand.

"Call me Soul." The woman on his arm grinned at Gajeel's look of surprise. She was dressed elegantly, with loose ash blonde hair and a sweeping black dress.

"It's a Shibusen nickname. I didn't know you gave it out to your business associates."

"I don't. But this guy seems really cool." Gajeel smirked.

"Soul, then. It's a pleasure."

"Likewise." The man nodded and straightened the lapels on his pinstriped suit. "This is Maka, my girlfriend." He said, gesturing to the blonde at his side.

"Maka?!" The shrimp, who was chatting with the mayor, gasped.

"Levy?" Maka immediately whipped around towards the shorty.

"Maka! It's been so long!" the shorty squealed, hugging the other woman.

"Lev! What have you been doing all these years?" The two squealed and both Gajeel and Soul winced.

Gajeel didn't miss a beat. "…since the shorty probably wants to talk to your friend over there, I'll give you the details for the afterparty."

"Cool. We'll be there." The man nodded, and they exchanged knowing looks. "So, how long have you two been together?"

"What?"

"You and Miss Bluenette here."

"We aren't a- we're not _together_." Gajeel muttered, glaring at the other man.

"Uncool, man." Soul tipped his face to the ceiling lazily.

"Tch. Whatever." Gajeel turned away sharply, motioning the shrimp over. "Oi! Shorty! We got more people to greet." The shrimp looked up and waved goodbye to the blonde.

"Catch ya later, Redfox."

"Yeah, yeah."

.:.:.:.

They wandered around for another hour or so and soon the guest began getting seated.

As Gajeel disappeared to get ready for his speech, Levy sat down at her assigned table. The table was occupied by the mayor, his PAs, the governor of Magnolia, and a few sponsors.

Levy wrung her hands. All her months of planning would come to a close in these next hours. Lucy, who sat at the table next to her, leaned over.

"It'll be great." She said reassuringly, patting the shorter woman's shoulder.

"Thanks, Lu." Levy smiled, but it was a distracted expression. "I just…"

The lights dimmed and Levy took in a sharp breath. It was all coming together.

A spotlight lit up the stage at the end of the ballroom. Gajeel was standing in the light, and Levy could vaguely see Warren and a few of the other scientists standing in the shadows, as well as a table. _A stand for the product, no doubt._

There was a polite smattering of applause, and Gajeel spoke into the microphone in front of him. "Welcome all." He paused, whether for dramatic effect or from nervousness Levy didn't know.

Natsu shouted, "Get on with it, Metal Head!" and Levy heard the thwap that followed as both Lucy and Erza hit him.

Gajeel ignored him. "You all know why we're gathered here. If I may, I'd like to talk to you about flowers." Levy's eyebrows rose. Around her, there was a collective murmur. _What?_

"Please give me your undivided attention. If you would, look to flower arrangement on your table. These were designed by Oiletta Floral designs." Levy scooted closer to the flowers, fully appreciating the pretty blooms. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see others doing the same. "First, I'd like you to look for the sprays of tiny white flowers. Those are called Baby's Breath, and they represents festivity. You'll see some Casablanca Lilies there as well; they represent celebration. We should celebrate. Not only is the new product coming out, we have guests here from all over the globe. From our own Mayor and Governor to representatives from Shibusen in Death City and L.M.E. in Tokyo, this is an event to be rivaled for years!"

The tycoons shouted their approval, and there was applause. When the noise died down, Gajeel began again. The servers were weaving their way through the room, placing flutes of champagne on the tables.

"Now, I'd like you to look for some yellow statice. They're very small." Gajeel coughed strangely. Was his voice wearing out?

Levy heard a cry of "Gray-sama, Juvia found it! Look!" coming from the tycoon's table. _They're really getting into this._

"Statice grows in the mountain and signifies success. I hope our product will have quite a bit of success. I, personally, will be using mine day and night." The audience chuckled. "Now, that brings us to our pink carnations. These specific carnations symbolize gratitude. I'd like to thank our sponsors and all of our guests this evening." The audience clapped, still mesmerized by the powerful speaker onstage. "But the one I'd like to thank the most is Miss Levy McGarden. Would you please come up here?"

Hesitantly, she stepped up to the stage, unsure of what she was supposed to do. "Levy here organized this whole event, and for that I am extremely grateful." The audience clapped louder, and Levy blushed. "The last flower is for Miss Levy here." He grabbed a bouquet of yellow roses from the small table Levy had spotted earlier and presented it to her. "The yellow rose. For friendship."

"TO FRIENDS!" Erza shouted, raising her glass in a toast.

"TO FRIENDS!" Gajeel handed Levy a glass. She smiled at him, and all her anxiety vanished. They clinked their glasses.

The rest of the presentations were amazing, but Levy couldn't stop stroking the beautiful yellow blooms.

By the end of the night, Gajeel and Soul hit it off, Gray mysteriously lost his tie and jacket, Cana drank all of them under the table one by one, and Soul's Shibusen buddies were invited to the afterparty on account of being "awesomely awesome" according to Natsu. By the time the last guest left, the staff had already started cleaning. Gajeel herded her into a cab and they headed to Lucy's apartment and the afterparty.

When they got there (a little after midnight) the men were sitting in the living room. Levy unconsciously rubbed her arms. The dress, while elegant, was not very warm.

"Oi! Redfox, give your girl a coat!" Soul said, gesturing to the shivering Levy.

Gajeel spluttered. It wasn't the first time that night they had been mistaken for a couple.

Beside him, Cana grinned drunkenly. "Give her the damn coat or you're not getting any beer, Metalface!" Gajeel scowled at her, then Levy. The blunette looked away, trying to opt out of the situation.

"Fine." Something large and warm plopped on her shoulders and she looked up in surprise. "Happy now?!" he yelled, shaking his fist at Cana.

"Yo, Blue." Soul drawled, "The girls are in the kitchen."

"Th-Thank you." Levy blushed and waddled towards the kitchen, practically swimming in the fabric. Lucy, Erza, Juvia, Mirajane, Maka, and Tsubaki (who she'd been introduced to at the party) were sitting on the counter, drinking wine. The women were making themselves comfortable. Lucy was wearing a sweatshirt over her dress and Maka had put her hair up in pigtails. Strangely, Erza was wearing an entirely different outfit.

"Levy! Juvia thinks Levy did a very good job today." Juvia said, "Juvia especially liked the sweets." Next to her, Erza made a sound of agreement.

"It was real' well done, Lev." Lucy grinned. She was already drunk again, judging from the slur in her speech. "You- you had nothin' to worry 'bout."

"Thanks, Lu." Levy smiled as the woman poured her a glass.

"Ish- ish no pro'lem." Lucy grinned at her. _Good thing it's her apartment. _

"Let's go play a game!" Juvia crowed, grabbing the bottle of wine. "Gray-sama! Let's play a game!" The women were led by Juvia and Erza to the living room, where the men were engaged in a round of… Truth or Dare? It was hard to tell at this point. Levy swirled her glass of wine around.

"Yahoo! The Great Black*Star will kick all of your peasant asses!" One of Maka's friends had whooped loudly. His wife, Tsubaki, was trying to calm him down.

"Shut up, Black*Star!" Maka shouted at the strange blue haired man. "Last time I checked, Soul kicked your ass without even trying!" The threat was dampened by the sway in her fist.

"Shut it, Tiny Tits!"

"Black*Star!" his wife desperately tried to quiet her husband and Soul was holding back Maka. "I-I think it's time for us to leave. Thank you for having us." Tsubaki bowed, and dragged Black*Star out by his collar.

"The Great Black*Star leaves for no one!"

"It's best to kick him out when he stops making sense." Soul sighed. "C'mon, Maka. See ya, Metalhead."

"Oi! 'M… 'm not a metalhead." His threat wavered with his fist. Levy giggled at her boss' drunken state. Beside him, Natsu fell over.

"Tha' flameass can't hold his drink!" Gray found this hilarious. He joined Natsu on the floor.

The rest of the night (morning?) was filled with sloppy dares and soon Levy started to fear for her friends' livers. "Gajeel, it's five in the morning. Let's go." she pleaded. Gajeel was sprawled out on Lucy's couch.

"Okay." he heaved himself up. " 'M driving." He jingled his keys.

"Oh, absolutely not." Levy snorted, whisking the offending items away from him. "I'll do it. You're drunk."

"Wha- no. I'm not letting you drive fer me." Her boss muttered, scowling.

"Yes, you are. If you drive we're going to die."

"I've done it before." He whined like a petulant child. Levy smiled in spite of herself. "C'monnn…"

"Levy, it's probably best that neither of you drive." Erza butted in, seemingly sober. "Call a cab."

"…" They were both silent.

"Alright."

.:.:.:.

Gajeel was groggy. He'd always had a high tolerance for alcohol, but something about this night made him feel more intoxicated than usual. Maybe it was how she looked in that dress. It made his head feel hot and his mouth got dry. What was he thinking?

She was sitting next to him, looking out the window. He took in every detail, the way her hair curled, the gentle rise and fall of her chest, how the light made her skin look paler than usual. She looked like a magical creature.

He smashed his head onto the headrest. _The alcohol, it's the damn booze._ His thoughts were spiraling out of control. _So this is what it feels like to be batshit crazy._

His bed felt so, so good. He buried his face in the cool sheets. Somewhere to his left, the shrimp giggled. "Gajeel, get some rest. I'm going to head home now."

"No way, shrimp." he grabbed her arm. She squeaked. "Stay here."

"H-hey, Gajeel…" the one eye he had open caught her surprised blush. "What are you-?"

He exhaled and dropped her hand. "See ya, shorty."

_What the hell was he thinking?_

He had never felt this… intoxicated. Unbidden, an image of Levy tucked into his arms appeared in his mind. Whenever he had women, they never affected him like this. Sex was the first and only thing on his mind. But now, with her, it was like flying. She was a magnet and he was an iron bar. She was-

"Fuck this." Gajeel's head throbbed. "Fuck!" a wave of nausea hit him, and he leapt out of bed to throw up.

.:.:.:.

Her hand felt like it was on fire… no, not fire. More tingly, like someone had sprinkled pixie dust on her hand. At least, that's what she imagined pixie dust to feel like.

_What was she thinking?_

**A/N: Ah, yes, my love for bad similes. I'm getting back into my writing groove, so expect a chapter. If I've taken too long, drop a review or PM me. Ahaha… I really should write more…**

**Anyways, thanks to the two (?) Guests that reviewed chapter 8. ^^ You guys really motivated me to write faster. **

**Signing off,**

**MQW**


	10. After

**A/N: Wow! Last chapter I got a TON of positive PMs from you guys :') I'm still fairly new to fanfiction, but I'm so glad I figured out how to reply to reviews!**

**This chapter we delve into darker themes so beware. Gajeel especially is interesting. ^^ Thanks for everyone who stuck with me this far, I know I'm not the best with this. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

After the cab took her home, Levy stood on the sidewalk, just staring at her hand. It didn't even feel like it was connected to her body. The tingling had stopped (thank Mavis) but now she couldn't stop feeling the sensation of this hand in hers, His fingers were calloused and thick. He had the kind of grip you associate with good handshakes. Why was she thinking over this so much? She obsessed over it while getting ready for bed. Once her pajamas were on, she sank into bed. She didn't sleep that night.

The numbers on the elevator screen seemed to fly by faster than usual, spiting her. Levy fiddled nervously with her purse and the file she had brought Gajeel to review. The elevator dinged, the doors slid open.

Lily stood over Gajeel's chair. "Lily?"

"Ah, Miss Levy." Lily walked over to her in long, clean steps. "I'm going to sit in for Gajeel today. He hasn't quite recovered from the partying."

Levy forced a smile. She didn't want to think about the gala just yet. Or what came after.

"Ah, I see. Well, today we have…"

Granted, it was a bit strange not having Gajeel around. She hadn't realized it, but Gajeel was vastly different from Lily. Not that she didn't like Lily. He exuded kindness and it shocked Levy a bit when he started talking to her about his girlfriend. Gajeel never talked about his personal life.

Lily was nice, but she missed Gajeel.

Yet she was both dreading and anticipating when he came back.

What would she say? "Oh, remember when you grabbed my hand? You were pretty drunk, so you probably don't know, but now I feel really weird. Yeah, do you want to have a deep heart-to-heart and look deep into each other's eyes?"

Yeah, that wouldn't fly.

The day passed slowly. She couldn't stop thinking about Gajeel. (She seemed to be doing that a lot lately.) If anything, she should be thinking about him less. But his absence made her thoughts wander farther and farther away from the present. What was that saying, _Absence makes the heart grow fonder?_

She almost choked. _What the hell? _This was her boss! She wasn't fond of him! He- he was her boss! Subconsciously, she had walked to her apartment, and she rested her forehead against the door.

"I don't have a crush on Gajeel. Come on, Levy. Stop deluding yourself." She exhaled once. "This is just a way to make some cash before a writing job comes around. Don't get too attached." With a resolute nod, she headed in.

.:.:.:.

Gajeel woke with a splitting headache. He immediately reached for his phone, wincing at the screen's brightness.

There was no way in hell he was going to let the shrimp see him like this. _The shrimp. Shit. Now she was going to think he was a perv or something… _He squeezed his eyes shut.

He tossed miserably in his bed, his thoughts becoming more painful by the second.

It was maybe nine am before he got up to eat something. He opened the fridge to grab a bite. His stomach turned just looking at all the takeout containers and he gagged when he sniffed one, only partly because of his hangover. "Fuck."

He poured himself a glass of water, sipping slowly. His head still throbbed; Levy plagued his mind. What made him think he could ever deserve her? The feeling of her slim fingers was imprinted in his palm. These hands weren't meant for that.

A memory, old but still fresh in his mind, resurfaced. He let his mind wander.

_Blood. Bruises. Broken bones. All things he'd seen before. It didn't scare him. Juvia stood next to him, in those goddam winter clothes. _

_Blood on her umbrella. Blood on his knife. Gajeel cackled, wiping the blade on his pants. He sheathed it carefully at his hip, always ready to draw it again. The blue haired woman, no, teenager watched politely. _

_"__Juvia will have to purchase another parasol. Juvia cannot use this one anymore."_

_"__So buy a new one. Mavis, woman, it's not like you ain't got cash to spare." Gajeel rolled his eyes, looking at his boots. They were drenched in the dark liquid. _

_"__That is true." She dropped the offending item on the ground with a thick splash. _

_Their leader was called Jose, though Gajeel never found out if that was his real name. He was an oily man with slicked back hair and equally slippery cohorts, Gajeel included. _

_"__You two did good." Jose tap, tap, tapped his long fingers together. "Okay!" His voice was a staccato shout and he grinned with a smile that was too big for his face. They were at HQ. it was dingy as usual, a glorified shack. _

_"__You two will take joint jobs from now on. Since you work so well together." _

_Gajeel snarled. "I told you, I only work solo." _

_Jose looked down his nose at the teen. "Well then, consider this a group project."_

_He and Juvia had a sort of grim friendship. They _did_ fight well together, despite Gajeel's bad attitude. They spent such a long time like that, two parts of a well-oiled fighting machine._

_Juvia never pried about his past; she was more reserved back then. Perhaps it was worse that she didn't dig, though. Gajeel never really got over Metallicana leaving. _

_Those were dark days._

_Now, looking back, Gajeel was grateful he met Juvia. They shared a bond, deeper than any friend or family. Because no matter what, they always had each other's backs. _

Gajeel leaned back into his couch. This apartment always seemed so sterile. The place he and Juvia shared, well, it was disgusting but at least it was his. This house was just something Lily picked out for him. It didn't feel like home.

An image of Levy appeared in his mind. _She _felt like home.

* * *

"Aaaagh." He squeezed his eyes shut. She was haunting him.

**A/N: I'm sorry this is so late and really short too… ;_; I'm working on the next chapter already in hopes I'll be able to post it faster. Siiigh… I'm really sorry, guys, I've been putting this off and am hoping to write more over the break.**

**Thanks to Circus Monster 2002, fairytailpeach, , shy anime girl, Giant Marshmallow, Lexie and the anime, LateNightShips, Musicbooks.2011, and the three Guests for reviewing!**

**Signing off, **

**MQW**


	11. Flashes

**A/N: Last time I said I'd update more… It's been two months… If I stop updating, come and PM me or review and yell at me ^^**

**Whoooooa this story hit 100+ followers! I'm seriously honored, considering how bad I am at updating. Thank you guys!**

* * *

Everything was normal. Gajeel stayed silent at his desk, tapping away at his laptop. It drove Levy crazy. They weren't going to acknowledge what happened that night?

She snuck a glance at her boss. He was still calmly working away.

Levy felt her cheeks begin to swell up in a pout, but looked down at her paperwork with a sigh. This was going to drive her insane.

_But hand holding isn't even remotely sexual or suggestive. And it's not like he was trying to kiss me or anything… but he is my boss, so it would be kind of inappropriate… What would Lucy do?! _Levy felt her pout grow and take over her face. _She'd probably go over there and make him talk. Probably hit him, too. _She let her head drop onto her desk. _There's no way I can do that. _

"Lunch break." Gajeel said, shutting his laptop.

"Uh, right." Levy glanced at him carefully. Nothing seemed different. She looked away. "I'll just eat here. I packed my lunch." Gajeel looked at her for a moment, then exhaled slightly. She heard it from across the office.

"Fine. I'm going out." He put on his coat and headed to the elevator. Levy shrugged and returned her focus to her papers. He left without another word.

Levy sighed. What was it about him that drove her crazy?

It was probably the hair.

.:.:.:.

He couldn't get out of the building fast enough. She was obviously mad at him, but for what? Fishing for his keys, he got in his car but didn't start it.

An image of his Phantom Lord days flashed thorough his head. Then, her face. Suddenly he was suffocating, and everything felt wrong. He clawed at his tie and shirt buttons, snapping his hair band trying to undo his ponytail. His breathing increased, and he clenched his fists. Why did everything feel so…

He sat like that for a while, tense and unmoving. It was only after someone walked past his car that he realized an hour had passed.

It was happening more often, now. Gajeel found it was dangerous to let his mind wander too much, especially…

There was just so much happening, and he couldn't afford to let the past catch up to him. He sighed. His suit was already wrinkled and he could feel himself spiraling out of control.

But he grabbed hold of himself, straightened his appearance as best he could, and headed back up to the office. When he opened the door, she was there. It wasn't a surprise, she was always waiting for him. So why did he feel so content?

.:.:.:.

He disappeared for an hour and a half. Levy was worried, he was never gone this long. And judging from his work habits lately, there wasn't any reason he would want to get away. He was constantly working on something new, and always diligently. He hadn't bothered to close his computer, and Levy caught a glimpse of his screen. There were twelve different tabs open and multiple windows open, creating a digital work collage.

He must be going to meet someone. But he didn't take her… and he hated going to meetings alone. Maybe it was because he was mad at her…? Or maybe, Levy thought, he was going to meet a woman. Her stomach twisted. Honestly, it was completely unprofessional to meet with someone during the workday! Couldn't it wait for four more hours?

And then he stormed in and Levy's mind went blank. His hair was loose and wild, his tie knotted sloppily, and he walked stiffly. It was obvious he was a mess, and she stifled the urge to comfort him.

"Hey… have you eaten?" she spoke gently, like she would to a kid.

"I'm fine." he practically growled, turning away from her.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." But even as he said it, his stomach rumbled. Levy sighed, more out of concern than anything else, and stood.

"I'll go buy you something." He was still standing near the office doors, and she tried to give him a comforting pat as she passed. He shuddered away.

It hurt her to see Gajeel like this, so vulnerable and unlike the man she knew. Or, she thought she knew until the night of the gala. He always kept a bit of him shut away, locked up so tight Levy knew she had only peeled away the most outer layers of his personality. How long ago was it that she started working at MetaTech? Weeks, months, years? It felt like she belonged here.

But she was also terrified. What if she got fired? Would she ever be able to find another job? How could she pay for anything? How would she be able to cope with losing this amazing job?

What would happen to Gajeel?

* * *

**A/N: annnnd it's short today because I couldn't find a good place to end it… but hopefully I'll update soon with a longer chapter next time!**

**Thanks to shy anime girl, Empress of Everything, Giant Marshmallow, Rynna Wynne, and Chise Sakamoto for reviewing! You guys are really awesome. **

**Signing off, **

**MQW**


	12. Tensions

**A/N: Another chapter… **

**AND THERE'S FLUFF BECAUSE THE LAST TWOISH CHAPTERS HAVE BEEN SLIGHTLY DEPRESSING YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED**

* * *

She stood outside in the rain. It was only drizzling, but Levy flinched every time a drop landed on her face. She was cold, cold to the bone.

It had been an exhausting day at work. Tensions with Gajeel were running high, and he was acting aggressive all day. Whatever happened at lunch wasn't good. She had tried to comfort him, get him to open up, but he stayed tucked in his shell.

Tomorrow was a new day. She would try to make things better tomorrow.

The next day, Levy cradled a little pot in her arms. Gajeel wasn't at his desk yet, so she set it on hers, waiting patiently. When he arrived, she held it out.

"What the hell is this?"

"A plant."

"Why are you giving me a plant?"

"Because this office is bleak. It's boring, for lack of a better word. And it could use a little sprucing up." she raised one of her eyebrows, shaking the pot a little.

"Don't cactuses only grow in the desert?" her boss looked doubtfully at the plant.

"It's a figure of speech, Gajeel. Besides, it won't shed."

"Fine, fine, do whatever you want." He sighed.

Levy beamed.

.:.:.:.

When she smiled at him, Gajeel's heart stopped. Then it jump-started, at twice the speed. His palms felt slick, and he took off his jacket. What was he doing again?

She seemed different today, in a way he couldn't explain. He studied her back, and realized she was more dressed up than him. Every day she would come to work like she worked for the president… which, he realized, she did in a way.

"You know, you don't need to dress up so much." he muttered.

"Eh? But Lucy said this is what I should wear." she cocked her head, her petite features scrunching.

"Well, I'm your boss and I'm saying you should dress down."

"Whatever you say, boss."

He caught her hand. "Just… Gajeel."

"Uhm," Levy froze, and he saw her face heat up. "I-"

The elevator dinged. The two jerked apart, Levy almost tripping over her feet in an attempt to disentangle her hand from Gajeel's. Lily stepped out of the elevator. Gajeel relaxed slightly.

"Hello, Gajeel, Miss Levy." The older man nodded.

"Lily, I said it's just Levy." The bluenette smiled, "No need to be so formal."

"It's a hard habit to break, I'm afraid." Lily shot her a catlike grin and Gajeel frowned. "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything."

"You weren't, we were just talking about the dress code." He said, sitting casually on his desk and feigning nonchalance that he definitely did not feel. "What's up?"

"The department heads want you to lead the general meeting. Did you forget?" Lily said, glancing at Levy.

"Oh, sorry. We haven't gone over the agenda for today yet." She fidgeted slightly, looking away.

"That's alright. Gajeel, come with me." So Gajeel stood and took the elevator down, leaving Levy behind and him alone with his thoughts.

She had a strange effect on him and it irritated him to no end. He couldn't figure out how she did it. She entranced him, yet he didn't feel like pushing her away. She was his drug and he didn't know if it was healthy or not. If it was anyone else, he would just fire them. But just thinking about pushing her away made every fiber in his body rebel. He just couldn't.

.:.:.:.

The elevator doors closed and Levy exhaled. She was on edge. Again. Actually, it was more like she felt hyper aware. Her vision was sharper and the room felt warmer. She was full of energy yet she was also breathless.

Also, what was with him and hand grabbing? She rubbed her hand absently, it felt tingly. She couldn't discern whether it was from her nerves freaking out or something else. Maybe both. There was just something about him that drew Levy to him.

She shook her head vigorously, trying to dump the thoughts from her mind. He was her _boss_, she reminded herself. It was seriously inappropriate, she reminded herself. He's also been driving her crazy, she reminded herself.

She just couldn't wrap her head around him. He didn't open, he was completely closed off and emotionless. Well, he didn't open up to _her_. And that was what she was bothered by. In certain moments, she could see the vulnerability behind his eyes. It was always so fast and she barely dared to breathe when she was around him, but it was there. To be completely honest, it wasn't the only reason she became breathless around him. Ever since the gala, ever since the yellow roses and the drunken after-party, something changed between them. He didn't come out from behind his shield, he hid behind it more. Before, she could catch glimpses of his smirk or hear a bit of softness in his voice. She truly looked forward to it because it made him more like Gajeel, not Mr. Redfox. Now, he seemed harder and more closed off. He wouldn't look at her when he spoke, wouldn't even give her a gruff smirk. It broke her heart. Maybe it was her that shut him up, but she couldn't figure out why. Whatever it was, he wasn't telling her something.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, that's it for chapter 12! Well, it only took a month, right? Ha…**

**I've been trying to write a bit every night but it's been hard because I'm an easily distracted person…**

**ANYWAYS thanks to 24Phoenix24, crownbutt123 and Guest (I see you Cousin Millz :P) for reviewing!**

**Signing off,**

**MQW**


	13. Stress

**A/N: More angsttttt**

* * *

Gajeel's mood plummeted when he saw the text. An unknown number had been spamming his phone. He knew it was Jose. This one read, _Do you really think the world would forget? _

Over the past few days he had been stirring up old memories, and Gajeel hated it.

Levy stood across from him. It really wasn't fair to her. His temper was short lately and he had been snapping at her more than usual.

"Gajeel!" she waved a hand in front of his face. "Did you hear me?"

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled, "give me a minute to get my things."

Levy frowned, so he frowned. "Gajeel, we're not going out. I was asking if you wanted to skip your afternoon appointments. You look tired."

He glanced at himself in the office window. He did look a little under the weather. "Uhm…"

She pressed a hand to his forehead and his face heated up. "You feel a little warm. Let me drive you home."

"…okay." He complied after a moment's hesitation. He was exhausted. Sleep… when was the last time he had decent sleep? His eyelids were drooping on the way to his apartment, and he almost fell asleep in his seat. He barely noticed her transfer him to his bed, and soon he fell into darkness.

.:.:.:.

Levy collapsed on Gajeel's couch, practically as exhausted as him. What was up with him? There was something obviously wrong and he needed to tell her what.

She rubbed a hand over her face. She was incredibly worried about him. He would disappear for hours, then come back sapped of strength. He wasn't eating, he obviously wasn't sleeping, and he seemed like he was off on another planet. Where was Mr. Redfox, fierce and strong? Now he looked like a shell of a man.

Levy couldn't help herself as she poked her head into his room. His face was relaxed, and she exhaled a breath she didn't know was held. _It was good he was resting_, she thought, _he looks so calm._ Even with the numerous piercings in his ears, nose and lip, he looked almost… peaceful.

It wasn't until she plopped on the couch again that she found herself stuck. What was she supposed to do?

She couldn't just leave him here, she should at least wait until he woke up. Until then… Unfortunately, she left her laptop at the office in her haste to get Gajeel to bed so she couldn't work. She stared at the wall absentmindedly, thinking. The apartment hadn't changed at all since she was last here. Well, it was a little dustier. She plucked long, dark strands of hair from the armrest, obviously belonging to her boss.

_I'm not going to clean my boss's apartment like Snow White_, she thought, _besides, I don't even like cleaning my own house._

"Ah!" she said aloud, then clapped her hands over her mouth.

"Gajeel is still sleeping." She reprimanded herself. "Levy, shush."

_I can make him something to eat!_

So she worked away in the kitchen. The final product was porridge with sugar and (possibly overripe) fruit, plus some coffee. Although she could cook fairly well, all she could find in his cupboards was instant noodles and oatmeal, not to mention the fridge that was totally empty. She guessed it was because he was barely home. With all his disappearing acts just during the day and the state of his apartment, it was easy to assume he wasn't resting in his bed most nights. Levy was seriously worried for him.

She supposed some of the things she was worried about could be attributed to the bachelor life: barely anything to eat in the house, the mountain of takeout containers in the trash, the dusty apartment. But something else was at play. No bachelor life would make him collapse in the middle of the work day.

Just as the oatmeal was getting cold, he walked in.

"Gajeel! Perfect timing. Come, eat." Levy beckoned to the food.

"Did you make this?"

"Yup, I did. Now eat it before it gets cold."

The man rubbed a hand over his face and sat heavily. Without a word, he inhaled the porridge and started on the coffee.

"Thanks." He stared into his cup.

"You're welcome." Levy blushed. He barely thanked her for anything. "Oh! Did you want sugar with your coffee? That's black, I didn't know how you like it-"

"'S fine."

"Eh? Okay." Levy looked down at the table, unsure of what to do. "Um, do you want me to go back to the office? I can finish up the day and file that paperwork you wanted."

"No, you can take the day off. It's my fault you left, anyways." Gajeel looked almost… shy. He closed his eyes.

Levy gulped, gathering her courage. He was here, so she had to take action. She took a breath and spoke.

"Gajeel." His eyes opened slowly, peering at her with lazy interest. "Can you please tell me what's going on?"

* * *

**A/N: The chapters are getting shorter ;-; Sorry, guys.**

**I've been trying to write more butttt…. Idk**

**I've already started on the next one, so be ready!**

**Thanks to AyaEisen, AngieKawaii, Grimnack, and Littlestme for reviewing!**

**Signing off, MQW.**


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